4000 Weeks

4000 Weeks and Living Life with Urgency and Purpose

Did you know that the average human lifespan is approximately just 4,000 weeks (3,744 to be exact)? If you are just the young age of 25, you have on average only 2,400 weeks remaining. Kind of scary, right? What is more scary is that if we do not have our health in check, our remaining weeks are drastically lower than 3,744. 

Understanding this can help us understand the value of our time and the importance of living our lives with urgency and purpose. But what does living our lives with urgency and purpose look like?

PURPOSE

Living with purpose means having a clear direction and knowing what you want to achieve in life. It’s about having a sense of meaning and fulfillment and understanding the impact you want to have on the world. Take some time to get clear about what you want in life, write it down, and then write down how you will achieve it. 

URGENCY

Urgency means recognizing that time is a finite resource and that procrastination and delay can hold you back from achieving your goals that make up your purpose. It means taking action now rather than waiting for the “perfect” time or conditions. Before we have urgency, we must have purpose, or we will be moving 100 miles an hour with no real direction. 

Here are a few ways to cultivate a sense of urgency and purpose in your own life:

1. Identify your values and priorities. What matters most to you? What are your long-term goals and how do they align with your values? By understanding your priorities, you can focus your efforts on the things that truly matter. One priority for many of our members is to live a long healthy life and to move well and unassisted into their later years.
   

2. Set clear goals and make a plan. Having a clear target to aim for can give you a sense of purpose and help you stay motivated. Consider setting SMART goals and making a plan for how you will achieve your goals, including specific tasks and deadlines. In fitness and health, we can easily set goals of how fit we would like to become in the next 3, 6 or 12 months and lay out steps of how we can achieve this. 
   

3. Take action.  Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity – create it. Be proactive and take steps towards your goals every day, no matter how small. Remember, consistency is fundamental and truly is the key to anything in life! For your health, set aside specific times each week that fit your schedule for workouts and make a plan for what you’ll do each day. To make it easier, join a group fitness/training gym (AKA your local CrossFit box!) that does this for you and choose the class times that work for you. You’ll find health and community!
   

4. Find accountability. For your fitness journey, whether it’s hiring a personal trainer, joining a group fitness class, or enlisting the help of a workout buddy, finding someone to hold you accountable can be a great way to be consistent. Motivation comes and goes, but in order to ensure we remain accountable and consistent, we must form a habit of it. 
   
   “Really successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else.  The difference is that they still find a way to show up despite the feelings of boredom.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits
   

5. Embrace challenges. Don’t shy away from difficult tasks or obstacles – embrace them as opportunities to grow and learn. With your health, starting a new gym or even exercising for the first time can be scary. Once you start, you’ll quickly realize it is not nearly as scary as you thought it would be, and you’ll be forever thankful you took the initiative to challenge yourself.

By living with a sense of urgency and purpose, you can make the most of your time and achieve your goals. 

How many weeks do you have left, and what will you do with them?