Charlie Munger, vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway, passed away on November 28th, just one month shy of his 100th birthday. As the right-hand-man to Warren Buffet, he developed one of the most successful and well-known investment companies in the world.
Munger was also known for his straightforward and insightful commentary on business, investing, and life in general. He was a proponent of interdisciplinary thinking, emphasizing the importance of leading a well-rounded life.
In a CNBC interview two weeks before his death, he was asked if there was anything left on his bucket list.
“Well that’s an interesting question. I am so old and weak compared to what I was when I was 96, that I no longer want to catch a 200 pound tuna. It’s just too goddamn much work to get it in. Takes too much physical strength. I would have paid any amount to catch a 200 pound tuna when I was younger. I never caught one. Now if you give me the opportunity, I would just decline going after them. There are things you give up with time.”
End-of-life reflections don’t center around net worth, even if, like Munger, it’s $2.6 billion.
Instead, what stand out are memories and experiences. Munger would have paid any price to catch a 200 pound tuna, but no amount of money could buy back his youth. At age 99, the opportunity had passed.
However, it’s important to see that “youth” is subjective. 99-year-old Munger wished he could again be the youthful age of 96. Remember that: even if you are 96, someone still considers you young. Your future self will look back on this period of your life as the good ole days.
Experiences are the soul of a life well lived. What if each year, you embraced the opportunities that were unique to that specific season of life? Imagine the colorful tapestry of memories you would have at the end of your life. Start now. Your 99-old self will thank you.
I’m fascinated by the research on how mindset impacts aging. There’s a strong link between when you THINK you’ll get old and when you DO get old (not in actual years of course, but in physical and mental ability, even the cellular biomarkers of aging!!!). It’s a balance – seizing the moment, but also not doing it from a sense of “running out of time.” I like how you said it: “embrace the opportunities that are unique to this specific season of life.”
Interesting. I hope I can convince my mind/body to allow me to catch a 200 lb tuna at age 96!
I will never forget when Grandma Oliver was sitting in her wheelchair next to me with the right side of her body completely paralyzed and unable to go to the toilet by herself. She turned to me and said “Helen, what should I put on my bucket list?”. Wow! I said to her Glenda,” I can’t tell you what you should put on your list.”But Hilary and I took her out for a spa day and she got a pedicure and her nails done for the first time ever. Her only regret was that they didn’t give her bright red toenails because she had a hard time seeing the pail pink color. We need to live in the fullness of our potential.
Thanks for sharing that story!