One Story. One Lesson. One Better Week.a
People ask me why I work out so much.
They usually assume it’s because I want to stay in shape.
Or because I still love playing pickleball.
Those are certainly part of it.
But they’re not the real reason.
The real reason has nothing to do with looking younger.
It has everything to do with one picture I’ve carried around in my head for years.
On my 100th birthday…
I want to walk one mile.
Not because anyone told me I should.
Not because I have something to prove.
I want to walk that mile with my son, Max, right beside me.
And I want my wife, Julie, standing there with her phone, recording the whole thing.
That’s it.
That’s my Olympics.
When people hear that, they usually smile.
Some laugh.
A few tell me it’s impossible.
Maybe they’re right.
But here’s what I’ve discovered.
The future has an incredible influence on the present.
That one picture changes hundreds of decisions I make every week.
Do I stretch today?
Or skip it?
Do I lift a little weight?
Or tell myself I’ll start next Monday?
Do I eat something that’s going to help the hundred-year-old version of me…
…or just satisfy the sixty-six-year-old version for the next ten minutes?
None of those decisions feels very important by itself.
But together…
They become a life.
Ironically, I didn’t fully appreciate this until my knees reminded me.
Earlier this year I had both knees replaced.
Recovery wasn’t easy.
There were days I wondered if I’d ever move the way I wanted again.
Simple things hurt.
Going downstairs became an event.
Playing pickleball—the game I love—suddenly wasn’t guaranteed.
I’ll admit it.
There were moments when I felt discouraged.
But every time I caught myself looking at where I was…
I tried to look back at where I’d been.
A month ago, I couldn’t do this.
Three months ago, I couldn’t do that.
Progress is easy to miss when you’re staring only at the finish line.
So I kept showing up.
Physical therapy.
Strength training.
Mobility work.
One workout.
One stretch.
One decision at a time.
Not because I wanted to win today.
Because I wanted to give my hundred-year-old self a chance.
I’ve realized something.
Most people think aging is something that happens to us.
I think it’s something we quietly vote on every day.
Every walk.
Every workout.
Every healthy meal.
Every good night’s sleep.
Every time we choose movement instead of convenience…
We’re casting another vote for the person we hope to become.
Will I actually walk that mile on my 100th birthday?
I honestly don’t know.
Life doesn’t come with guarantees.
But I do know this.
I’d much rather spend the next thirty-plus years training for a dream that might not happen…
…than spend them wishing I had started sooner.
Because here’s the secret.
The goal isn’t really the mile.
The goal is becoming the kind of person who never stops preparing for tomorrow.
This Week’s Thank Goodness It’s Monday Challenge
Close your eyes for a moment.
Picture yourself twenty or thirty years from now.
Not what you want to own.
Not where you want to live.
Who do you want to be?
Now ask yourself one simple question.
What can I do today that would make that future version of me smile?
Then go do it.
One small decision is enough.
That’s how extraordinary lives are built.
Until next Monday…
The future isn’t built all at once.
It’s built one ordinary day at a time.
Take care of your future self.
Someday…
He’ll thank you for it.