Will Your 80-Year-Old Self Miss This?

What if you had one day to relive it all again?

Picture yourself at 80 years old, waking up in your 35-year-old body for just one day. Would you rush through it like you sometimes do now? Would you complain about the mess, the noise, and the chaos? Or would you soak up every second, knowing it’s all fleeting?

I came across a post online that painted this exact picture — waking up to little feet pounding down the hallway, tiny voices yelling “Mommy!” like it’s the best word in the world. Holding your babies close instead of rushing through bedtime. Laughing with your partner. Feeling the grass under your feet. Sitting on the floor with your kids, no phone, no distractions. Even the spills, the crumbs, the chaos — all of it cherished because you know how quickly it will be gone.

I’m not a super mushy person when it comes to motherhood, but hearing that brought me to tears. Because I know I’ve rushed away seasons of my life. I rushed through the first two years of my daughter’s life, navigating postpartum depression and trying to figure out who I was in this new role. And even now, there are moments I wish away — the overstimulation, the sass, the exhaustion.

But it’s also been a powerful reminder to slow down.

I’ve been noticing more lately — my four-year-old running into my room every morning yelling “Mommy!” and diving under the covers for a snuggle. My eight-year-old handing me a paper airplane with a note inside that says, “I love you, Mom.” Those are the moments my 80-year-old self will ache for.

In business, just like in motherhood, we pay a price. As moms and entrepreneurs, we get to decide how much of that price we’re willing to pay. Is it worth trading every moment for the next revenue milestone? Or can we create a business that serves our life — not the other way around?

I recently spoke with a client making about $200,000 a year. She could scale further, but it would mean hiring a team and restructuring her business. When I asked if she wanted that, she said no — she wanted to keep it simple. The income she had was enough.

That conversation hit me. Growth is great, but not if it costs the moments that matter most. As my kids get older, I’m more intentional about building my business to give me space to hear “Mommy!” in the morning, to show up for bedtime stories, and to enjoy the life I’ve worked to create.

I’m not saying you should ignore how hard this season can be — because it is hard. But I hope you can pause, even for a minute, to take it in. The truth is, we’re already living parts of our life we’ll someday wish we could get back.

So now, when I make decisions about my time and my business, I ask:

Will my 80-year-old self miss this?

Will she be proud of how I spent my time?

Because I don’t want to wait until I’m 80 to realize the little things were always the big things.