Intentionality

Intentionality, it's how I live my life these days.

It’s the difference between being at the wheel and being a passenger. Between choosing your direction and simply reacting to whatever comes next.

I’m now in my forties, and someone asked me recently whether I feared having a midlife crisis. I laughed and said, it’s far too early for that — I plan to live to at least 200, and I’m not even halfway yet.

I meant it as a joke, and it landed that way. But later, that throwaway line stuck with me. Because the idea of living to 200 isn’t actually as ridiculous as it sounds.

When I was born, the life expectancy for Australian men was 71 years. Today, it’s around 81. In a single lifetime, we’ve added a decade. For women, it’s even higher — about 85 years.

That’s a huge shift!

What’s more interesting is how this has happened. Most of us aren’t living particularly healthy lives. We move less than ever. We eat too much processed food. We drink too much of the wrong things and not enough water. We spend long hours sitting, staring at screens, stressed and distracted.

And yet — life expectancy continues to rise.

There are obvious reasons. Cars are safer. Medical care is better. People survive accidents and illnesses that would have been fatal a few decades ago. Smoking rates are down. Governments regulate advertising and public health more aggressively. Technology and medicine keep moving forward.

So in theory, if we just live long enough for life expectancy to increase again… and then again… how far could this really go?

Who knows.

But here’s the question that matters to me:

If life expectancy keeps rising despite unhealthy lifestyles — what happens if we become intentional about our health?

• What if we actively look after ourselves?

• What if we prioritise movement, nutrition, sleep, hydration?

• What if we add breathwork, recovery, and other practices that support the body rather than slowly wear it down?

That’s still just the tip of the iceberg.

Now combine that with ongoing advances in medical science and technology. What does that future look like? Do we live to 200? Maybe. Maybe not.

But wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?

That throwaway line about living to 200 actually opened up a bigger question for me: What would life look like if we really did have that kind of time?

That’s where this really gets fascinating.

Most people dismiss the idea, “Oh I’m going to be done and in a nursing home by 80”. But let’s assume that we can take the deterioration of age out of the equation. Let’s just suppose for a moment that it was possible.

The next thing people talk about is money. “Oh, I’m going to run out of money”. Again, let’s just suppose you could get that sorted. You don’t have to win lotto or be mega rich, but let’s just suppose that however how, you’re able to maintain a comfortable standard of living.

So now, you’re finances are under control, you don’t have to worry about paying the bills, you’re living comfortably, if want to go out to lunch somewhere nice, you can afford to. Now let’s say you’re independently retired. Not working full time. Your time is your own. Now let’s say your health is flourishing. You’re a healthy, happy, vital human being, nothing holding you back, and you have the energy to do whatever you want.

Now, if that’s the case, if that’s your life, how do you want to live your life? What things do you want to do?

You’ll start with generic stuff, you’ll do the gardening, you’ll go out to lunch, you’ll spend time with family and friends. But over time, something else emerges.

Meaning.

I mean you’ve got 200 years to play with!

Let’s look at just one small slice of this. Books.

How many non-fiction books could you read in 200 years? Hundreds? Thousands? And what would that do to the way you think?

One book introduces a new idea. That idea leads you to another book. That book changes how you see the world, which sends you in an entirely new direction. Each insight compounds the next. This isn’t linear growth — it’s exponential.

And that’s just reading.

Now apply that to experiences. To places. To people. To skills. To creativity. To contribution.

Who could you become over 200 years of intentional growth?

Anyway — this isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about questioning assumptions. Because whether we live to 80, 100, or 200, the principle is the same.

It all comes back to intentionality.

For me, that starts with my health. I’m in the best physical shape I’ve ever been in. I eat well (mostly). I exercise. I drink plenty of water (usually). I get enough sleep (I’ve made a deliberate point of prioritising this). I get regular chiropractic care. I’ve started exploring breathwork.

Not because I have to — but because I choose to.

And once you become intentional in one area, it spreads.

I’ve rearranged my home so it works better with how I actually live. I’ve restructured my calendar so I do things when I prefer to do them, not when I can squeeze them in. Small changes — big impact.

The work I do now is intentional. It didn’t happen by accident. I chose it.

I want a life where things happen because I intend for them to happen — not because I drifted there.

So maybe the real question isn’t how long we’ll live.

Maybe the question is this: If you were truly intentional with your health, your time, and your choices — who might you still become?

We don’t need to live to 200 for this to matter.

We just need to stop living accidentally.

You don’t have to change everything.

Just stop letting life happen to you — and start deciding what you’re here to create.

We may never reach 200 — but we can absolutely reach a version of ourselves we’ve never met before.

And that’s worth being intentional about.