I was at the beach watching a man who was probably in his 70s surfing with his grandkids.

He was surfing with his grandkids up and down the sea, pushing them non stop. 

Hoping on their boards with them. It was beautiful to see how much energy and love he had.

I wondered what kind of life he had. 

Did he look after his health throughout his life?

Did he have a stressful life?

What kind of job he had?

Whilst most people at the beach who were at least 20 years younger than him could barely stand up from the floor without 10 different manoeuvres.

It was mesmerising to see this man was living his best life, full of energy, having a ball with his grandkids.

As I watched him, I reflected who I want to be when I grow up.

Yes I am a grown up but growing up doesn’t stop right?🤪

I thought about how short sighted our society is when it comes to growing up. 

People put so much focus on their professional life and how much material stuff they “need” to collect as their only measure of growing up successfully.

Whilst most people are suffering from a lifestyle disease by the time they are in their 70s, taking between 5-6 medications daily, struggling to play with their grandkids.

We as a society would consider them successful and happy based on how big their houses are, what cars they drive and how many toys they have acquired.

Who I want to be when I grow up?

I want to be healthy (because I know what it is like not to be)

I want to have energy to do whatever I want (not having energy to do what you want is like living a miserable life really)

I want to have freedom to move my body as I want (Freedom has always been one my core values. No freedom = no life)

Health is a feeling and state of being.

If you have ever been sick you know what I am talking about.

If not, don’t wait to get there to value what you have.

It is easy to think we are invincible especially when you are in your 20s and 30s.

When your body is putting up with the abuse of the daily grind without giving you too many problems.

How do you create long term health?

You build health daily.

You build your health with what you do.

Your habits.

You build health in the same way as you build wealth.

You put your time and effort daily on it. 

Without any excuse (you wouldn’t not turn up to work because you don’t feel like it right?)

Health is what happens between doctor visits (it is not the doctors responsibility to build health for you)

And what happens between doctor visits is your daily habits

(Nobody can do this for you – massage, acupuncture, naturopathy, vitamins and supplement etc are complementary- they can’t build health for you)

You probably have tried all of these whilst not changing any of your habits and you haven’t gotten anywhere right?

What you do daily is who you are going to be when you grow up.

Whether you like it or not, there is no luck in this game.

(Please don’t pull the card of my grandmother lived until 98 and she smoked and drank everyday – she probably didn’t eat foods with as much crap as it is sold in supermarkets these days, or lived a sedentary life glued to her phone)

Your habits are building your future.

Whether you will be living your best life in 20 years time surfing the waves, running around instead of moaning and complaining to get up from the floor is entirely up to you.

It is entirely up to your daily habits.

Who do you want to be when you grow up? 

Just look at what you do daily and you will find the answer.

If you don’t like the answer, don’t forget you can always change it.

The decision is yours.