The Intersection of DIE WITH ZERO and Pensions

I met up with some female friends I've been hanging out with since high school for the first time in a while. In May, when you can feel the early summer, the three of us gathered at Suma Beach.

We've known each other for over 40 years. As is typical for people approaching sixty, the years are etched onto our faces. But once we start talking, the substance is almost unchanged. The way we laugh, the way we tease each other, and the way our topics jump around are just as they were back then.

However, there was one thing that was definitively different.

The topic of "pensions" unexpectedly came up.

I couldn't believe my ears.
What!? Us and pensions...
We had never talked about such things in this group before.

It's only natural. For us, who (we like to think) haven't changed since those days, aging was something that happened to other people. In fact, until just a moment ago, I hadn't even realized that pensions were something that concerned me. I had absolutely no sense that I was at an age where I could receive a pension.

Yet this year, we were talking about pensions while dipping our feet into the water at Suma Beach.

One of my friends said,
“You never know what's going to happen to the pension system in the future.”

Another continued,
“And you never know how long your own body will stay healthy, either.”

Those words felt strangely realistic.
I get out of breath just climbing the stairs at the subway station, and the text size on my smartphone screen is about a centimeter square.

And then the conversation moved in this direction.

If it's money you can get even without working, shouldn't you take it while you can and spend it while you're able to?

Go to the places you want to go while you're still healthy enough to move around. Eat the things you want to eat. Meet the people you want to meet. Don't put off the things you want to do.

After all, when you die, you can't take anything with you to the afterlife.

When I heard those words, I remembered the bestseller book "DIE WITH ZERO".

It's not about making the ultimate goal of your life how much money you can leave behind when you die, but rather using it up as experiences while you are still alive.

Of course, this isn't about spending money recklessly.
Living expenses and medical costs are absolutely necessary.
Home appliances break down suddenly one day, regardless of my convenience. So, it's not that I don't need to think about the money I leave behind.

Even so, holding onto nothing but anxiety about money and putting off all of today's pleasures is quite a waste.

When I was busy raising children, I thought it was the right thing to do to endure things for the sake of my children and for the sake of the future.

Save as much as possible. Don't waste money.
That is certainly important, but as you enter the second half of your life, your perspective changes.

The future of my children and my own future are both important.
However, the "me of today" is also important.

Right now, my body still moves. I can see. I can walk on my own two feet.
I can meet people and laugh. I can read books and feel moved.
I can drink coffee and find it delicious.
Though it seems like a matter of course, isn't this actually quite a luxury?

Besides, in the second half of life, the weight of "time" is different.

In any case, it flows by so quickly.

A week is supposed to have seven days, but no sooner do I read the Monday horoscope than Thursday's trash day arrives in a flash. Before I know it, I'm reading the new horoscope. Wait? Where did Tuesday and Wednesday go?

I have things I think I'll "do someday," but will that "someday" really come!?

The more objectively I look at myself, the greater that doubt becomes.
This is not pessimism. It is reality.
Precisely because I see reality, I must not treat the present carelessly.

Showing off a sparkling life every day like the entrepreneurial women on Instagram isn't for me. I don't need the simple, adult-chic aesthetic of a "careful life" either. I just want to make choices that make my heart feel lighter as I live.

Keep the books I wanted to read close at hand.
Tell the people I want to see, "Let's meet."
Make plans to go to the places I want to visit.
Don't give up on the clothes I want to wear just because of my age.
Don't feel guilty about eating what I want to eat.
Don't spend my time on things I dislike.

The richness of the second half of life doesn't need to be flashy.
What's important is being able to choose for yourself how to spend your time and your heart.

Saying "live the present to the fullest" might sound a bit intense, but the "fullest" as I see it is much more relaxed.

Enjoying things. Resting.
Stepping away from things I dislike.
Not making negativity or stress the default setting of my life.

Well, as long as you're alive, there will be troublesome things.
Even so, there is no need to go out of your way to stay in a painful place.

How to spend today's time on what I "love."
I want to focus my consciousness on that.

Talking about pensions with my female friends was strangely realistic, yet it was a surprisingly bright forecast for the future.
Even though we were supposed to be talking about anxieties regarding old age.

Perhaps we want to set our age aside and truly enjoy ourselves, even while realizing that we are getting older.

Money, time, physical strength, and mental energy are not infinite.
That is precisely why I want to use them carefully.

After all, you can't take your bankbook to the afterlife.
If there is anything you can take, it is only the experiences of this life that you lived and enjoyed.

So, are you
living and enjoying the present?

<Recommended Book of the Day>

"DIE WITH ZERO" by Bill Perkins, Diamond Inc.

The author's challenge is that spending all your money is harder than saving it. The core idea is to prioritize life fulfillment (net fulfillment) over assets (net worth).

■ Who is the author, Bill Perkins?
Born in Texas, he has a unique background as a successful hedge fund manager who later entered the film industry. The starting point of this book is an episode from his youth when his boss told him, "What's the point of saving peanuts? Spend it on things you can only do now."

■ 3 Key Points of 'DIE WITH ZERO'

1. Invest in memories
   The concept of 'memory dividends.' The idea that while an experience happens only once, the memories of it enrich you repeatedly.

2. Timing is everything
   What enhances life fulfillment is having the right experiences at the right times. The key is when and on what you spend your limited resources of time and money. It's about the fact that there are things you can only do when you are young or while you are healthy.

3. It's okay to die with zero
   This book presents a new perspective on the Japanese tendency to save for the future. I truly resonate with this!

About the author of this article

To those of my generation, let's enjoy the present together! I look forward to your follows.