Welcome to reThinkable - my weekly newsletter where I share actionable insights to build a wealthier and healthier life.

Happy Halloween-week! I always get a little sad this time of year because I get reminded it’s not socially-acceptable for a grown man (without any kids) to trick-or-treat for candy…

P.S. I had 2 costumes this year: “The Rock” in his iconic black turtleneck and an Al Pastor taco. What costume did you wear this year? Reply to this email and let me know.

Here’s what we’re covering today:

1. ⚠️ The last thing I expected

2. 🪤 The trap we all fall for

3. 🤔 How to avoid this trap

Estimated read time: 3 minutes and 22 seconds

⚠️ The last thing I expected

I was shocked after coming across this research.

Apparently, the majority of retirees dedicate their day to sleeping (9 hours), lounging around (6 hours), and binge-watching TV (4.5 hours). 

There’s nothing wrong with living like this after you retire, but I’ve always imagined that, after I retire, I’d travel the world. I’m also positive that 95% these retirees once imagined this too.

But reality paints a different story.

The truth is, we struggle to accurately imagine our future-self because we envision the future from the perspective of our present-self.

We’ll never know if our future-self will have the same enthusiasm, physical strength, or mental clarity… until it’s too late.

And that’s when I realized many people fall headfirst into a very specific type of “trap.”

🪤 The trap we all fall for

We’ve all had the same thought before - the one where we put off our happiness, thinking it's reserved for some magical land called "retirement." 

We mentally paint a picture of a utopian future: endless free time, glowing health, loving relationships, and unlimited freedom. It's a classic story line that most of us follow:

• Age 1 to 18: You go to school and hope you get into a good college

• Age 18 to 21: You go to college and hope you get a good job

• Age 21 to 65: You go to work and hope you can retire  

• Age 65+: You retire and start living the “good life”

This is the epitome of The When-Then Trap - believing that happiness is something we can only achieve after certain conditions are met, like:

• “When I make a 7-figure salary, then I’ll finally be happy.”

• “When I get that promotion, then I’ll be happy.”

The problem is, this trap is all about banking our happiness on some future event, some external achievement we think will lead to lasting joy.

But what if we didn’t have to wait to be “happy?”

P.S. Despite the similarities, The When-Then Trap is different from Delayed Gratification.

🤔 How to avoid this trap

The traditional concept of retirement hinges on the idea of a "before and after" in our lives. We work tirelessly in the “before” to bask in the “after.” 

But what if we scrap that notion entirely? 

What if we made our lives one continuous journey without the need for two distinct “before” and “after” phases? What if we called this one single life phase, “during?”

That’s where Incremental Design comes in. Traditionally, Incremental Design is used to develop tech products but I figured we can also use it for everyday life.

Basically, Incremental Design involves breaking “something” into smaller pieces and working on them one-by-one while simultaneously improving the overall “thing.”

When we apply Incremental Design to life, we’re able to be “happy” every step of the way rather than only being happy at some future date. So instead of following the classic story line: 

• Age 1 to 18: You go to school and hope you get into a good college

• Age 18 to 21: You go to college and hope you get a good job

• Age 21 to 65: You go to work and hope you can retire  

• Age 65+: You retire and start living the “good life”

You’d follow the The Incremental Design story line:

• Age 1 to 29: Lay the foundation for a fulfilling life

• Age 29 to 30: Seek out opportunities

• Age 31 to 40: Delete or eliminate tasks for more freedom

• Age 41 to 50: Identify what work is meaning for you

• Age 50+: Focus on what matters to you

This approach is about living a life with steady growth, progress, and happiness so you don't feel the need to “retire from it.” You’ll no longer need to defer happiness to some future date. Instead, you can be happy now, and continuously improve your happiness each day.

It’s a nuanced change in perspective but sometimes its the small things that makes all the difference.

🔎 Vincent Finds Out

• 📝 Bad news. The exam that measures college readiness levels just hit 30-year lows…

• 🚜 Soybeans are changing the US economy and you'll never guess why...

• 💸 Can you imagine owing $28.9 billion in taxes and saying “no thanks.”

📝 reThinkable Quiz 📝

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