Beat the Clock- A Life Game

By Jeffrey R Karp, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®

August 14, 2020

While “The Price is Right” takes the title of the oldest TV game show in history, “Beat the Clock” was TV’s first and longest running stunt game show.   In each episode, couples would complete wacky and unusual stunts within certain time limits to win cash and prizes.  They had to literally beat the clock to win.

The life expectancy clock as of 2020, on average, runs out for men at age 76.10 years and women at 81.1 years.  Our greatest opportunity to beat the clock of life is to have experienced all we had hoped to experience before that clock stops ticking. Amidst the many wacky and unusual stunts life throws at us along the way, we also hope to create opportunities of our choosing to enjoy before our time runs out.  

Why is this game of life so important to understand?  Because the moves you make now will influence how well you play the game. While time matters, your attitude matters even more.   You can dream, but without a plan, it becomes a wish instead of something you are actually pursuing.

How does this work in real life?  Several years ago, I coached a couple heading into retirement.   Life had already given them a few “wacky stunts” to maneuver through, but they wanted to add a few desires of their own to their list of life’s accomplishments.  They had dreams, yet no plan, therefore no action steps to inspire a winning attitude to believe that what they desired could be possible. 

The first step was analyzing their lifestyle costs compared to income sources, including social security claiming strategies, to gain a clearer picture of their cash flow. The next step was to build a game plan, or in this case, a financial plan, projecting what it would take for these desires to be possible. They Dreamed It, we Planned It and they are Pursuing It, as we speak.  They are beating their life clock by living their life on their terms.  

Remember, the Clock of Life always runs out.  The question to ask yourself is. “How many opportunities do you want to pursue before it does?”