I’ve Got About 30 Good Summers Left

By: Michael Youngblood, Co-founder & CEO, Unsettled.

I’ve Got About 30 Good Summers Left

If I stay healthy and lucky, I’ve got around 30 good summers left. Maybe 35, if I’m fortunate.

According to the World Health Organization, people who maintain an active lifestyle — physically, emotionally, and creatively — can expect to feel well enough to travel, think clearly, and fully engage in life into their early to mid-70s.

That gives me, at 40, a window of maybe 30 more years of real freedom and possibility.

And if I don’t protect those summers, they’ll disappear into routines, inboxes, and one more year of “just grinding it out.”

That realization has forced me to get clearer on three things:

1. My Priorities Need to Be Clearer Than Ever

If I’m not clear on what I value, I’ll never build a life that’s full of what I actually want in it.

To do this, ask yourself:

• What matters most to me — and how can my calendar reflect that?

• What are the top 3 values (how I spend my time) that I want my summer to reflect?

For me, that means spending more time exploring my home region of Western North Carolina this summer. I now schedule regular “imagineering” sessions — opening my calendar and planning adventures across my local mountains, rivers, and small towns.

What’s your priority for this summer?

2. I Need to Know When to Say Yes — and When to Walk Away

I’ve wasted time chasing things that looked good on paper but felt hollow in real life.

To do this, ask yourself:

• What would I immediately say “yes” to if I weren’t afraid or uncertain?

• What’s the cost of saying “yes” to things that don’t move me?

Recently, I made the hard call to shut down an entire series of experiences at Unsettled — not because they failed, but because they no longer aligned with what is calling our company forward. It was hard. But it’s the only way to make room for what’s next.

3. Think Long-Term; Act in the Short-Term

I’m learning to live in both vision and action in my life.

I keep the 30-year vision in view, but I do small things every week that are aligned with that vision in my day-to-day. Instead if the epic expedition, I spend some time exercising in nature almost daily; no matter how small. I can access everything I want today, and not have to wait for things that are important to me, and yet, I want more of these things every day! 

Ask yourself:

• What does my ideal summer look like 5 years from now, and how can I do some of those things, in small ways, this summer? 

• What’s something aligned with my values that I’m not currently focused on and want more of in my life?

• What am I waiting for that I don’t actually need to wait on?

Thinking in terms of having only 30 good summers left, drives me to make this one count.

I want all of them to be filled with growth, meaning, adventure, and a deep sense of connection to the people and world around me.

What about you? How are you designing your life when you realize you only have a finite number of summers remaining? 

If not, that’s where the real work begins.