Patrick Mosher had a teenage premonition he wouldn't live past 30, so at 15 he chose to "spin up"—embrace experiences, learning, and generosity instead of drifting. By 30 he'd earned three degrees, performed in productions, and become a father. Now he frames each day beyond 30 as a gift and urges others to choose to live fully.
Chapters
We've made great gains in the science of health and longevity. Since I was born in 1960, global life expectancy increased from about 50 years old to 72 years old in 2017. That's an incredible 44% increase just in my lifetime. In general, everyone on this planet is living longer. We have entered an unprecedented time in human history, and it's about time. What are you doing with all that extra time? I've known Joe for almost 30 years. We shared a project early in our careers when we were both consultants, and a couple weeks ago we were catching up and he said something that really took me aback. You know, Patrick, we're at that time in our lives when we can count the number of summers we have left. That got me thinking about mortality. How many summers do I have left? Can I count them on one hand? Two? When I was 15, I had a strong premonition I wouldn't make it to see 30 years old. It didn't seem like a possibility. It felt inevitable. I wasn't living a hard life and didn't have tough circumstances. Mom and Dad provided a nice home and a neighborhood in which to grow up. I went to great schools. By 15, I had achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, got good grades at school, painfully shy, a few fellow nerdy friends along the way, but all in all, a privileged life. But there it was. I won't make it to 30 years old. What would you do if you were told that you only had 15 more years left? Well, you can either spin up or spin down. At 15, I chose to spin up. I became an experiential learner of this thing called life. I said yes to every unique experience the universe delivered to my doorstep. I learned deeply and continuously. I gave generously of my talent and time. I chose to live. And by the time I was 28, I had overcome a debilitating shyness, acquired 3 university degrees, danced and choreographed in a modern dance company, managed 90 young men as a staff resident in residence halls, performed in 2 musicals, landed a great job doing change management work at one of the Big 5 accounting firms, and best of all, brought 2 beautiful daughters into this world. I was cruising, grabbing life by the horns and wrestling it down. Oh, yeehaw! My 30th birthday came and went. A few years later, I remembered that premonition. And I didn't think, "Oh, what a foolish boy." At 15, I was given a choice. By choosing to live, I altered the trajectory of my life. That premonition was a gift. On that day, my soul filled anew. I dig down deep because every moment and every breath beyond 30 years old feels like a beautifully wrapped gift. Every day is my birthday. Sure, I have down moments and, and even down days, but they don't last long. Every day the universe gives me that same choice I was given at 15—a choice to live. Look, I don't know how many summers I have left—5, 10, 40—but I do know It's all about time. And time is not a commodity. You may feel like you have a lot of it, and maybe you do, but maybe you don't. Either way, don't spin in idle. Don't spin down. Take a deep breath. Fill your soul with gratitude that you are here. And spin up. Live 100% empowered.
