Don’t Die With The Music Still Inside You

I reckon September is like a second birthday. Perfect weather, footy finals every weekend, and then a long weekend waiting with its arms wide open at the end of it. It’s more like a birth-month than a birthday. It’s heaven on a stick.

But back to the footy. (And just before you lose yourself with excitement, I’ll bet you two cold beers and a pie with sauce this post is not what you think it is).

All blokes aside, I think the ladies will appreciate this Moowsletter just as much as the men.

Here’s why.

This weekend is the NRL grand final between the Brisbane Bronco’s and the North Queensland Cowboys.

In 2008, the Cowboy’s knocked back an offer by super coach Wayne Bennet to coach them. They said he was too old. He was 58 at the time. Now, seven years later, Bennett and his Bronco’s are lining up against the Cowboys for the premiership decider.

A policeman by trade, the seven times premiership winning coach is regarded as one of the best ever.

He’s also a teetotaler. Two of his three children are disabled so he doesn’t drink. Testament to his dedication, for the last six years he was away coaching the St.George Illawarra Dragons and then the Newcastle Knights, he would fly home twice a week to Brisbane to check in with his family.

Now aged 65, the Clint Eastwood look alike gives the impression he’s just warming up when most his age are starting to wind down.

So what makes this man tick? And why would I include him in a Moowsletter more to do with finance?

The answer lies in a book he wrote in 2002 with acclaimed sports journalist, Steve Crawley, titled…

Don’t Die With the Music In You
Bennet bumped a secure future with the Queensland cops to become a footy coach, arguably the most turbulent and tenuous of all careers. He loved coaching more than anything else and decided to make his vacation his vocation. He refused to die with the music still inside him. He wants to die with a game plan in his hand instead.

Bennett is also a member of the populations largest demographic – the Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1965). Financially, he could have retired years ago, however he also had the prescience to see what many in his cohort are just beginning to realise…

Retirement Is Boring!
It’s not what many thought it would be. Unplanned, its spiritual suicide.

Douglas MacArthur said it best, “Age wrinkles the skin, but quitting wrinkles the soul”.

To be totally honest, I think that’s why some retirees look dead from the ankles up even though their health is perfect. They just stop. They are no longer engaged in anything – physically, mentally, socially or spiritually. Blokes are the worst.

It’s probably what inspired Willian McInnes to write his bestseller– “A Man’s Got to Have a Hobby”. 

This stuff is that important I’m beginning to incorporate it into my pre-retirement planning. It’s not far from being front and centre of the whole show.

Why Hobbies Are Important
Hobbies or a genuine sense of purpose give vitality to life.

The best ones don’t just fill a time void. They do much more. They connect people, build self-esteem, relieve stress, make people interesting (again), keep people young and playful, continue the learning process, and enrich perspectives. They lubricate both mind and limb.

When it’s time for me to change gears I’d love to make or fix toys for kids that don’t have any. To find a cave with a few other blokes and make a contribution like that would be the bomb. I’d love to jump out of bed for that one!

This is why Bennett will be a long time young. He’s pursuing a passion that engages the mind and body. Both need continuous exercise. Just a little bit every day. It helps sharpen the saw.

But central to every hobby is a sense of fun. It builds sustainability. What’s fun gets done. When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.

If only one or two words in this post spoke to you it’s because something inside wants to get up and dance. Don’t die with the music still inside you.

Have a great weekend and happy birth-month!

Adam

P.s. Bronco’s by 4.

Back Paddock – If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy last years leading up to the grand final – 3 Lessons From Two Great Coaches. It was one of our most popular all year.

Far Back paddock – This weekend will be exactly one year since I closed my account at the pie shop. When I went to the doctors recently to have my bloods done she asked if I had noticed much of a difference.

I said, “Have a look out the window, the pie shop is no longer in business!”