Your Life In Weeks

Happy Graduation! Whether it’s preschool, high school or college, graduation season is in full swing. There are mortarboards flying through the air and many commencement addresses are subjecting students to many motivational slogans on how to seize the day, make a difference, and change the world.   

I came across a Your Life in Weeks post a few weeks ago. This was created by Tim Urban in 2013 and highlights how many weeks we live if we make it to age 90. That gives us 4,680 weeks on Earth. There’s a helpful interactive chart on his website that allows you to input your birthday and see where you are in your life journey. I turn 50 early next year, so according to his chart, I’m more than halfway through the weeks of my life. I’ve spent some of those weeks wisely (and wasted a few). But I have about 2,080 weeks (about 40 years) left. That’s also a stark wake-up call. Time is precious and not to be wasted.   

I had the privilege to recently attend a memorial dedication for a dear friend who passed away in 2023 at the age of 89. Joy Bishop was a mentor to me and so many others in our community. She led fundraising campaigns for the Blount County Library, Clayton Arts Center, United Way, and Pellissippi State to name a few. As I was listening to the speaker during the dedication, he commented that Joy moved to Blount County in 1990. She would have been 56 years old. What she accomplished in the next 33 years was nothing short of amazing! She had over 1,700 weeks of her life left to live, and she didn’t waste it. 

My professional calling is to help our clients realize what’s possible to achieve their financial goals and dreams. Joy’s life reminds us that it’s never too late to start making a difference. Her leadership not only created a legacy for Blount Countians to enjoy, but also inspired others like me to stay involved in making our community better.