17,158 Days Left. How Many Do You Have?
Jul

Today is my 40th Birthday and I have 17,158 days left to live. Give or take a few….
That’s a scary thought.
According to one of those oh-so accurate life expectancy calculators, I am expected to live until age 87 and 3 months. Good news for me!
Living to age 87.25 will give me 31,758 days in which to live. Given my current age (weeping openly), I have used up 14,600, thus leaving me 17,158 days remaining.
The big 4-0 is a big deal for some and just another day for others. I’ve been thinking about this day for a while now and wasn’t sure how I would react.
Would it be just be business as usual? Would I have some kind of epiphany in the middle of the night? Would I become manically depressed and hole up in my basement for 2 weeks with 6 gallons of distilled water and a case of fig newtons? I really didn’t know.
Until now.
Realizing Our Own Mortality
If you wait, all that happens is that you get older-Anonymous
Getting older sucks. It’s not that we can’t do the things we used to (although losing weight is much harder now), it’s that we are that much closer to death. While death may be inevitable, it still scares the shit out of me.
I’ve got too much life still in me to die. And so do you. So what are we doing about that?
How many times have honestly asked yourself “what have I done with my life so far”? This can be a very eye opening question. Especially if you answer it truthfully.
The more important question however is “what am I going to do with my life starting today”?
So many times we get caught up in everyday life that we forget to answer this important question. We plan our vacations, we plan our kids birthday parties, but we never plan the rest of our lives.
Then one day we wake up and we’re 40 and the mortality tables tell us that our life is half over. And that’s if you have a healthy family history.
The Final Countdown
Yes, I know this is a sweet song from the 80’s hair band Europe, but I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about the countdown to your last day on Earth. It could be 50 years from now or it could be right after you finish reading this post.
The point is that we have no idea how long we have to live. It’s time to take stock of what we’ve done so far in our lives and decide if we want to continue down the same path or start down a new one.
I have my answer.
If you can truly grasp the gravity of your life span and how precious life is, then it becomes a whole new ball game.
All I want you to do right now is think about what I’m saying. Don’t get out your notebook (or iPhone) and start setting goals and creating to-do lists. Just think.
Think about these things for a few minutes and see how you feel.
- How did you feel when the Challenger crashed in 1986?
- How did you feel when JFK was shot and killed?
- How did you feel when Chris Farley collapsed and died?
- How did you feel when Natalie Holloway disappeared?
- How did you feel when Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped?
Do you want more time now? Me too, but we can’t have it. All we’ve got is now. Take it for all it’s worth and don’t look back. You never know when this day will be your last.
The thought of writing this post again at age 50 scares me to my core. What if I can’t get my shit together and create a successful business? What if my excuses and fears hold me back from quitting my job? What if I’m in the same or worse position in 10 years? What then?
I cannot let that happen. I just can’t. Neither can you.
How did you handle your 40th birthday? I’m curious to hear.
Birthday Wishes….
Now, if you happen to know about my crack-like addiction to Red Bull and you really want to get me something for my Birthday, you can!Β Any Paypal donations will actually be used to buy Red Bull as I’m on a 2 cases per month habit…my internal organs are thanking you…
Just click on the can!

Torre - Fearful Adventurer
Happy birthday! Or happy halfway-to-death day? The glass is half full β how exciting. Your life begins now.
Steve
Just getting started Torre π Thanks for the B-day wishes..
Eugene
Happy birthday Steve!
That’s a very sobering thought. I really don’t want to live a life full of “what-ifs.” Although I have plenty already.
That’s part of the reason I decided to move to NYC for a month to see what I can make happen. I can always move back to Cleveland if everything falls through. But I don’t want to sit around after the fact thinking “what if I had moved.”
It’s happening in 10 days and I’m scared shitless. Which makes me think it’s the right way to go.
Steve
Thanks Eugene,
Congrats on making a big move like this. You’re a young, single entrepreneur, NYC sounds like just the place…
Meg
Happy Birthday. You need to lay off the red bulls or that number is going to decrease. I have never looked at my birthday as less days to live…. yikes. But that makes me want to live it up even more now. I’m not 40 but I know my tick tock clock is ticking. It’s time to seize the moment.
Steve
Meg,
This may be true! On any given day, Ive got enough caffeine and sugar running through my blood stream to kill a small horse. Still love it though π
I suppose looking at my life as how many days I have left isn’t the most positive approach..It does get you thinking though
Judy Helfand
Happy Day to you Steve,
Since you asked, I can tell you that I celebrated my 40th 21.5 years ago!!!! And according to this great link provided by the Social Security Administration I should live for another 23.7 years!
Right now I can say that I don’t know if that is good news or not. My 40th Birthday was celebrated with friends in North Conway, NH. At the time my husband and I owned and operated a country inn.
Here is my birthday advice…count up how much you are spending on Red Bull each day and multiply it by 365. Stop!
Judy
Steve
Judy,
Sounds like you have plenty of good years left. I’m sure you’ll do your best to enjoy them.
It looks like I spend $1,034.17 each year on Red Bull. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. π
Riley Harrison
Well as Winston Churchill said in his brief but famous commencement speech – ‘never never never never give up’
Happy Day Steve!
Riley
Steve
Thanks Riley!
There is no chance of quitting now! I’m here for the long haul.
Justin | Mazzastick
Happy Birthday Steve,
RedBull is your drink of choice. I had to remove the coffee maker from my house because I was drinking a pot or more of it a day.
I get one cup of coffee a day from the store in the morning but at home I drink lipton hot tea. Not as much caffeine as coffee and it allows me to sleep at night.
“Life is too short to waste another second doing something that we hate to earn a living. That is not a living, it is a dying.”
Benny
Happy birthday Steve!!! Mine was yesterday. π
Do you buy your Red Bull from Costco or somewhere similar? I know you can get a better deal there.
When I read stories about tragic deaths, it definitely makes me reflect how life is gone in an instant. In today’s local paper, story of a girl who went to Spain for the summer w/ her boyfriend. Just graduated college. Promising future. Parents back here get a call from the embassy in spain to say their daughter died in a scooter accident. So sad.
Anyways, great post Steve! Hope you had a great birthday with your family!
Steve
Happy B-day to you Benny!
After years of buying them at convenience stores, I finally wised up and started buying them at Costco. It’s not a cheap habit and I’ve quit a few times, but it’s the one thing I look forward to each morning when I get into my office. Motivation in a can…
I try not to read the news very often because it’s always bad news, but stories like this help us remember how fragile life can be..
Benny
Thanks Steve!
Yeah I don’t read much local news because most of it is bad but that caught my attention cause it’s a local girl. Sad nonetheless.
Do you like the sugar free or regular Red Bull? I preferred the sugar free kind kind when I drank it.
Robert Miras
Hello Steve,
I was also scared to think of I am not getting any younger. Thinking also of my future, what could be me after years, am I still this me now or much worse. I do live in a life of “what ifs” too. The thing is, I even count my time remaining and life is really just that short.
Hulbert Lee
This is crazy — seriously crazy.
I’ve been afraid of going out of my website and commenting because it’s outside of what I usually do which is SEO.
I told myself to just go comment on a blog, any blog, right now!
I stumbled across this blog from Think Traffic.
I thought I was going to read something lighthearted, but this post also scared me too!
Anyway, I told myself I would comment on a blog and I’m not going to back down now so here it goes…
Happy birthday Steve!
Steve
Hulbert,
Thanks for getting out of your comfort zone and taking the time to comment. What’s your issue with engaging with people?
And yes, this post was meant to scare you….right into action!
Hulbert Lee
I don’t know! I guess I was in my own world for a while and going outside and seeing other blogs made a big difference. Yes, you’re post scared me enough to take action! Thank you!
Steve
Right on! Now go make shit happen!
Adrienne
Happy belated Birthday Steve. Sorry I didn’t stop by Friday and wish you a good one then. Hey, better late than never right!
Oh my 40th birthday was a blast. I took 3 girlfriends and we flew to the Virgin Islands where we stayed for an entire week. Had the time of our lives. I wanted to do something unique for that particular one. Ah, the memories!!!
Now the only other thing I want to point out to you are thoughts. “What if I canβt get my shit together and create a successful business? What if my excuses and fears hold me back from quitting my job? What if Iβm in the same or worse position in 10 years? What then?” Stop it!!! Stop… You have to change that mindset young man or you will be in the exact same place 10 years from now. Trust me, I know.
You work on that mindset and you will be there in no time at all. Need some help with that? Give me a call, I’ll have you thinking that you can conquer the world in no time at all. That I know for sure.
Hope you had a fabulous celebration and did enjoy your weekend. Talk to you tonight.
Adrienne
Steve
Adrienne,
Thanks for the old man B-day wishes π
I think those thoughts and fears are in everyone. I know they can be overcome, but it’s much easier said than done.
I’m trying to really focus on what I can do instead of what I can’t and it’s helping. I do honestly believe that I will be successful here, so that’s a good thing! π
Connie McKnight
Happy Belated Birthday Steve,
I wish I were 40 again. I remember how badly I hated turning 40 and wouldn’t even celebrate it. I couldn’t imagine anything worse. Now 40 seems so young and if I could do it all over again, I’d embrace it.
This is as young as you’re going to be. There’s no time like the present to find out what your passion is and get out there and chase after it. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you.
From an older and much wiser older person who knows exactly how you’re feeling.
Connie
Steve
Hi Connie,
That’s pretty funny that you wouldn’t even celebrate your 40th π
As young as I’m ever gonna be..hmm..I guess I should be happy that I still have more than 50% of my life left!!
Thanks for the inspiration, I needed it