75 Years: The Real Cost of the Brand Way

 

Seventy-five years.

That’s how much time you get—if you’re lucky.

Seventy-five winters.

Seventy-five springs.

Seventy-five summers.

Seventy-five autumns.

When you break it down like that, it doesn’t feel like much, does it?

And yet, we trade most of those fleeting seasons away.

We hand them over to punch clocks, empty tasks, and manufactured stress.

We trade our precious time for a paycheck, then spend the paycheck trying to feel alive again.

All the while, we’re told there’s a “right way” to live, a “brand way” to work, and a perfect version of success that usually comes with burnout, back pain, and a side of regret.

Look Around. This is the System.

A pile of broken processes.

Tangled wires behind smiling policies.

Discount bins and corporate slogans that say “We Value You” while crushing your spirit one deadline at a time.

The truth is, most systems weren’t built for people. They were built for profit.

The cartoon chaos of the breakroom isn’t an exaggeration. It’s just a reality people got too used to.

We learn to cope.

We learn to stay quiet.

We learn to call it “just part of the job.”

But deep down, we know something’s off.

We know we weren’t born to fill carts with policies and pack our best years into store aisles or spreadsheets.

We were born to live.

Right Now. Not Later.

Let me ask you something:

Are you living today, or are you just getting through it?

Because this moment this very second is not a dress rehearsal.

This is your life.

And I’m not saying you should drop everything, run barefoot into the woods, and start speaking in poetry (unless that’s your thing).

I’m saying you could wake up.

You could start seeking more than just routine.

You could risk something for love.

You could reconnect with your family, your friends, and yourself.

You could finally give energy to the part of you that wants to live, not just survive.

You could make decisions based on joy instead of fear.

You could build something human instead of hollow.

You could spend the rest of your seventy-five years becoming someone you admire.

It’s Not Too Late to Reboot

There’s a reason you feel tired, and it’s not just because of long hours.

It’s the exhaustion of a soul out of sync with its purpose.

You weren’t made to be a cog.

You weren’t made to be another badge number.

You weren’t made to fight for 15-minute breaks in exchange for 40 years of your life.

You were made to create, to love, to feel deeply, to stand for something real.

You were made to be part of something honest and human.

So maybe it’s time to unplug from the “brand way.”

Maybe it’s time to question the systems you were told were sacred.

Maybe it’s time to write your own manual one that values people over process, connection over control, and life over labor.

Because if you’re not living this one life…

what exactly are you doing?

Here’s Where You’re Fortunate

You’re reading this right now.

You’re breathing.

You’re still in the story.

That means you have time however much is left.

You have time to laugh until your ribs ache.

Time to get it wrong, and then get it right.

Time to call someone you love and really mean it this time.

The brand way may have taken a lot from you.

But it hasn’t taken everything.

You still have the power to choose.

You still have the power to live.

You still have the power to start over.

You still have a few springs left. A few summers. A few bold, beautiful moments that could change everything.

So don’t wait for a better time.

Now is the time.

This is your shot.

This is your life.

Live it on your terms.