The Juice Boost Bite-sized wisdom for goal-chasers

No. 21 — 18th June 2023

The only two people you should aim to make proud

I recently came across a quote that said:

At first glance, I appreciated how the idea reminded me to stay true to my values — both in terms of what I wanted as a child as well as what I might want in the future. I didn’t go beyond that initial interpretation, but simply stashed it away in the ‘gems of wisdom’ compartment of my mind.

Over the next few days, this idea kept coming back to me. As I began mentally unraveling it, it struck me. I was delighted, fascinated and humbled — all at the same time. Here’s what was so powerful about it:

Making my 8-year-old self proud was about staying true to my roots. It meant pursuing the dreams I’d naively set my sights on as a kid, and not letting “practicality” shut down my ambitions. It also served as a reminder to continue living in the present, not always reminiscing about the “good ol’ days” or worrying about what might happen in the future — just enjoying the now.

8-year-olds have a magical ability to lean into their curiosity and learn from empirical experiences. Staying true to my 8-year-old’s nature was about embracing that childlike sense of wonder and not letting life pass me by.

On the other hand, making my 80-year-old self proud was about aligning today’s choices with the long-term goals I have for my future. To do that, I’d need some idea of what I want my life at 80 to be like, and reverse-engineer it from there. The purpose of this was to make choices that lead to maximum fulfilment and minimal regret in the future.

When I understood just how useful this idea was, I began applying it to various domains of my life. I asked “What would my 8-year-old self and 80-year-old self think about my fitness, work, relationships or habits?” I was left with a clear picture of what my past and future selves might want, and how I could satisfy both through abiding by principles today.

That’s when the 8 and 80 framework was born. A way to realign my day-to-day actions with the person I strived to be, and actively contribute to the future I wanted I live in. For those of you curious about trying this — I highly recommend it. To get you started, I’ve shared a set of examples from my own experiment, as well as examples I’ve taken from others who have tried this. Give it a shot, you won’t regret it.

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Life Principles for 8 and 80

Wealth 💸

• 8yo — wants to have money to spend on whatever they want
• 80yo — wants future-generations to be free from financial-stress

Principle: build generational wealth by investing in assets that compound, but don’t be afraid to spend some of it today on what matters

Social connections 🤝

• 8yo — loves doing new things with close friends
• 80yo — loves spending quality time with family

Principle — always make time for those you care about

Work 🧑‍💻

• 8yo — only wants to work on what is most enjoyable
• 80yo — wants to feel proud of the work they did

Principle: do what you love and take pride in how you do it

Strength 💪

• 8yo — wants to be able to achieve any physical feat they can think of
• 80yo — wants to have the strength and mobility to be self-sufficient

Principle: incorporate a fitness routine optimised for strength and mobility, that also features exciting challenges

Health 🩺

• 8yo — dreads falling sick, wants to play outdoors 24/7
• 80yo — dreads falling sick, wants to be free from health concerns

Principle: incorporate a clean diet and get sufficient sleep to avoid falling sick

Significant other ❤️

• 8yo — wants to be with someone who is fun and has similar interests
• 80yo — wants a bond that remains timeless, effortless and meaningful

Principle: find someone whose values you share, and do whatever you can to keep the relationship fun, fulfilling and intimate.

Time ⏳

• 8yo — lives (almost exclusively) in the present, maximising every second
• 80yo — aims to cherish time as much as possible

Principle: Don’t let time pass you by — cherish it by living in the present

Reputation 🧘‍♂️

• 8yo — is rather carefree, doesn’t care what others think
• 80yo — knows better than to care what others think

Principle: don’t let others get in the way of who you want to be and what you want to do

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We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of The Juice Boost. Let us know how the experiment goes by emailing us on team@juiceapp.co.

Till next week,

Team Juice — Ria, Jay and Akash

Sera, Law Garden, Ahmedabad, India, 380006
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