Plan for the future. Live for today

I’m 60 years old and have been in full time employment since the age of 16.

I have lived a good life. I have a wonderful wife and family and many, many memories of family times and holidays.

In the last 30 years I have never had any bank loans or credit card debt. The only debt I have is mortgage debt and stupidly through ignorance and procrastination on my part the debt now outweighs the value of the mortgaged property.

Throughout my years I have done everything possible to provide for my family and to ensure their happiness – for that I have no regrets. I lived for today and we have many good memories to prove it, but I didn’t plan for the future. 

This means that at the age of 60 I have no possibility to retire early. I never thought I would want to retire early but when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a blood cancer) at the beginning of 2023 my world changed. Whilst none of us know how many years ahead of us, we have on this earth the cancer diagnosis was a massive shock that made mortality all too real.

I am alive and happy for that. I do not regret the past and I cannot change it. What I can do is share my experience with others in the hope that they can learn from my mistakes – and that is why I am posting this today.

If I could turn the clock back and speak openly and frankly to my younger self I would say…

1. Take every day as a gift – the most precious gift of all. You can buy yourself dinner. You can buy yourself a Rolex but you can’t buy yourself more time on this earth.
2. Be open minded about how you earn money to live. Working for someone else is the easiest way to earn, but it comes with pros and cons.
3. Establish additional revenue streams at an early age – it takes time and it’s not easy, but it could be your way to real freedom
4. Develop an appreciation for money….always be careful about saying “….it ONLY costs….???” ONLY is a dangerous word. It devalues the money we are spending. Only $5. Only £10. Put yourself in the position of someone who works at or below minimum wage – how would you feel if someone said “oh! It’s only £10” I am sure you would feel insulted as it might take you more than 3 hours of hard work to earn that money.
5. Educate yourself about money. Take ownership for your financial future because some day one day in “x” years time it’s you who will suffer or benefit from your financial planning.

Also it is important to realise that it’s never too late to plan for your future. Start today!

One year ago (3rd October 2023) I started a youtube channel called Bramble Cottage Renovation

Step by step the channel has grown and as of today we have 984 subscribers. Hopefully by the time the channel reaches its first birthday we will have passed YouTube’s minimum subscriber threshold for monetization (1000 subscribers). This means that with a little luck in a few weeks time we (my wife and I) will have successfully created our first additional revenue stream. If I can do it…so can you!

Best wishes,

Richard

5 things I am thankful for –

1. The opportunity that the internet gives us
2. The opportunity to be able to learn new skills at any age
3. The memories I have
4. The memories my family have
5. Friends