50-50-50

50-50-50

You are approaching the starting line for your professional life. For most of you, that means the beginning of your 50-50-50. You will spend 50 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, for the next 50 years at work. 125,000 hours in total, and about a third of all your time between now and your early 70’s. Sleep will take another third, and you’ll choose how to split the rest between yourself, family, and friends.

At 22 years old, 50-50-50 may seem like an eternity, but I assure you it is not. A more accurate measurement is to know it is a big part of a short life. For reference, 23 years are already gone from my clock. I’m now at 50-50-27.

The 50-50-50 clock starts whether you want it to or not, and it does not pause or stop. Ever. Aside from the relationships you will build with family and friends, it represents the entirety of the time you have to impact the world.

The only real choice you have is how you will spend that time. You have already done yourself a tremendous favor by choosing to attend Cal Lutheran and having enough grit to see it through. Your liberal arts degree gives you three things. First, more opportunities and options for how to spend your time. Second, a set of tools which equip you to pursue a life of purpose. Third, a broad set of experiences which have helped – and will continue to help – you find your purpose. Yes, your Multimedia major gives you a career jump start, and that matters. However, the real return on investment from this place pays off continually over the rest of your life, in informed, intentional choices about who you love, what you do, and who you are.

So how should you spend your 50-50-50? That’s up to you, but here’s my advice. Spend your time building something which needs to exist in the world, and choose something hard. Life is much too short and precious to waste on things which don’t matter or don’t need solving.