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When you begin with the end in mind, you can cultivate a firm understanding of what truly matters to you, rather than focusing solely on assets and financial strategies. Here, author Tim Maurer suggests two exercises for uncovering your core values:

📌 5-Minute Exercise: Reflect on your personal concerns and aspirations. This involves identifying and prioritizing things within your control, such as health, family, and financial security, to clarify meaningful objectives.

📌 50-Minute Exercise: Known as past podcast guest George Kinder's "Three Questions," this exercise invites you to imagine life scenarios: Financial security without limitations, limited life expectancy, and a final day of life. These questions help reveal essential goals and values for a life of purpose and meaning.

Key takeaways: When you acknowledge your mortality, you are more likely to get to the root of what brings you fulfillment, which can then become a guiding force for your retirement plan and life. This is your opportunity to unlock the door to your happiest and most authentic self.