If you are someone who is living life with only the 9-5, 5 days a week schedule taking up your time and nothing else, you definitely have to read this.

Think about it like this: You are now 35. You have spent about 10 years in the workforce. You should have a substantial sum of savings or put them in investments. 20 years has passed since you were 15, the age which you can still remember clearly, the age where you were on the cusp of adulthood and also finally allowed to make decisions on your own.

In another 20 years after you hit 35 in age, you will be 55. Being 55 years old is the age when your body is set to deteriorate. This means half your ‘full’ life is over once you come into 35 years of age. This means that when you want to travel, you have to consider achy muscles and breaky joints. For most of us, this also means employers view us differently and being advanced in age despite gaining experience is not always viewed positively in the job market.

I know this is a controversial view which the senior folk will protest against. 55 is still young they say. For an average 35 year old, becoming a 55 year old is as distant a vision as having a retirement networth of 1 million dollars.

Your time passes at the same pace regardless of whether you are a prince or pauper. Everyone has an equal lifespan and what we make of it and the circumstances we were born into determine our quality of life. Luck and effort play major roles in shaping our lives be it for pleasure or pain.

So for the 35 year olds amongst us, don’t panic yet. Instead, plan. You could extend your viability from 55 to 75. Thats doubling your lifespan from 35-75 years of age. I know this age, 75, sounds really ancient and a 75 year old seems really fragile. You might be thinking: what is the quality of life I can have in my seventies? Hear me out, I have spent enough time with seniors who are in their seventies to know that remaining active in terms of still going travelling and engaging in hobbies and activities is still possible despite an advanced age.

The first factor to plan for is to stay active. This doesn’t just mean hitting the gym to work out. In fact, I would not recommend going to the gym but instead join a sport or physical activity where you can socialise. Make friends and you will not think to miss a workout due to procrastination, in fact, you might find yourself looking forward to it. Staying active, working your muscles, and keeping yourself able to walk long distances also extends your shelf life.

The second factor to plan for is to manage your finances well. What use is longevity if you have no means to enjoy yourself and let loose a little? This means disciplined investing and prudent spending which very importantly should entail allocating a budget for traveling and fun activities while you are in your prime age of 15-55. Make sure to create memories that will last a lifetime and allow yourself time to live in the moment.

The third factor is to invest time into family. To be very frank, the best outcome for any individual approaching 50 is to have filial children and/or a loving and caring spouse, ideally both. In your twilight years, family ties i.e. companionship is irreplaceable. You could have many friends but only family will provide that quality of and extensive care of close kin. Do not neglect this factor if you can, devote time to building relationships that last. This factor is absolutely crucial and your dependency on family will come into play especially at the 55-75 life stage.

The fourth factor is to try to be as lovable and as positive a person that is interesting to be around. Looks fade, but personality endures. People are drawn to personalities that shine with genuine care and concern for others and who see things in a positive light.

At this point, you will start to see that all the factors mentioned are in fact inter-connected and can be boiled down to 1) be active both physically and mentally, 2) have a sound financial plan that has compounded because of an early investment, 3)be positive minded 4) invest time into relationships that last and stand the test of time.

Looking on the bright side, you may have a different perspective which is that 35 is the age where you, as a fully fledged adult, are independent and have full control over your finances and time. To the married folk with children, this season between 35-55 is when you have to sacrifice personal time to care for your children. Being judicious in their upbringing will determine the strength of the parent-child bond.

Think back to your own childhood, how would you like to be treated if you were in your children’s shoes? Being caring not only entails being loving, it also entails giving your children the latitude to make their own decisions at times and allowing them to fail within boundaries that you foresee to be something they can recover from. Your children will appreciate you all the more if you allow them space and will respect you the more for your understanding.

This article serves as a reminder for introspection and reflection for young adults. There’s no two ways about it, how you treat others and how you spend your time will cumulate in your later years. Being earnest, sincere, and thoughtful towards others might garner some ridicule for your honest and jovial behaviour by some, but fret not for you will be appreciated by the people who matter, that have been observing your behaviour and like yourself, are keen to make friends too. Don’t be gauche about it when approaching people whom you hope to befriend; when you meet someone that you can have a great conversation and make a connection with, take the opportunity to actively befriend them, for finding kindred spirits you share a similar frequency with is hard to come across mutually.

If you do take charge of your life from ages 35-55 following what is written above, assuming no sudden misfortune like prematurely passing on, you may enjoy a prolonged active lifestyle from ages 35-75, a cool 40 years of living out an enjoyable and happy existence stretching into your twilight years.