The Alignment Audit
I have a valuable exercise to share with you today.
Jesse Itzler, one of my favorite people to follow for advice about living life to the fullest, recently shared that his mom always wanted to visit a castle in London. He thought he had time. Now in his 50s, his mom is gone—and so is the chance to create that memory.
He reminded us, "While you're building your empire, don't forget to build memories. Because one day, the chance to create them will be gone."
During my 27+ years as a financial advisor, it was just as much my job to ensure that my clients were happy and fulfilled as it was to ensure they achieved a good rate of return on their investments.
That's why I created something I call "The Alignment Audit"—three simple questions that reveal whether you're truly living or just existing while you wait for "someday."
Question #1: If you won $50 million in the lottery tomorrow and never had to work again, how would your life change?
This isn't about the yacht or mansion. It's about whether you'll keep doing what you're doing now. There are people who would continue the same work regardless of money. If that's you, congratulations—most don't feel that way. Most realize they're on pace to trade decades of their life for work that doesn't fulfill them. But here's the thing—you don't need $50 million to start doing work you love.
Question #2: If a doctor told you that you had one year left to live, how would you spend that year?
The answers are never "I'd work more overtime" or "I'd contribute more to my 401(k)." They're always about people, experiences, and meaning.
Question #3: If the doctor said you were going to die tomorrow, what would your biggest regret be?
Pick a regret you can actually do something about.
One of my clients had the same answer for all three questions: He'd always wanted to take his family to Israel, but the timing and money never lined up. After our conversation, he redirected his monthly mutual fund contributions to a travel fund instead. Six months later, he sent me a photo from the Western Wall with his wife and kids.
If you were suddenly financially liberated or running against time, which relationships or experiences would you pursue? What are you putting off right now because you don't believe you have the money or the time to make it happen?
In my book "Let's Retire Retirement," I argue that we've got the whole equation backward. Instead of sacrificing our best years to retire from work we hate, why not find work we never want to retire from? Instead of deferring life until 65, why not design a life that lets us enjoy the journey?
Once you plan to work longer, you will have more money and time to spend on the people and things most important to you right now.
Work will likely be available to you in the future; however, there may be relationships and experiences that won't be.
