The Post That Stopped Me
A post popped up on my feed this week, and I've been thinking about it ever since.
It said: "80 autumns is easily the most insane way to describe how short life is." (Credit to @jaemi.pierson, who clearly knows how to land a line.)
My first thought was, huh. Eighty autumns. When you put it that way, a whole life feels like something you could count on your fingers and toes a few times over.
And if you've been reading me lately, you know I'm in full autumn mode this year. I've been walking around New York, watching the trees turn gold and red, thinking about seasons and letting go. So this one hit home.
But then I had a second reaction. And that's the one I want to share with you today.
Eighty Harvests, Not Eighty Goodbyes
Here's what I realized. That post can be read two ways.
You can read it as a countdown. Only 80. Time is running out. Hurry up, you're behind.
Or you can read it as a harvest count. Eighty times in one life, you get to gather what you've grown. Eighty times you get to look back, celebrate, release what's heavy, and decide what comes next. Eighty golden seasons of reflection and renewal.
Same number. Completely different energy.
One of my favorite teachers on the wisdom of Kabbalah is David Ghiyam, and one idea he teaches has stayed with me: lack attracts lack, and wholeness attracts wholeness.
When we look at our lives from lack, we grasp. We panic. We make rushed decisions with our time and our money because we feel like there isn't enough.
When we look from wholeness, we savor. We choose. We plant with intention because we trust there's a season coming to harvest it.
So no, I'm not reading that post as scary. I'm reading it as an invitation. You don't have to squeeze the most out of every single second. You just have to show up for this autumn. Then the next one. Then the next.
And Today Is 11/11
Speaking of invitations, today is November 11. 11/11.
If you've been on social media at all this week, you've probably seen people calling it a portal. A doorway. A powerful day to set intentions.
Here's the gist of what people are saying. In numerology, 11 is considered a master number, one that never gets reduced. Put two of them side by side and it looks like a doorway, or two pillars standing open. And some are pointing out that 2026 adds up to a 1 year (2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 10, and 1 + 0 = 1), which makes today 11/11/1. That's a lot of ones. A lot of new beginnings energy.
Now, you know me. I'm a finance girl at heart. I spent more than 20 years making numbers balance to the penny. So I'm not going to tell you a date on the calendar will change your bank account.
But here's what I do believe. Anything that makes you pause, get quiet, and get intentional is worth using. David often teaches that each week carries its own spiritual energy, and that the real power is in what we choose to do with it. A portal is just a door. You still have to walk through it.
So let's walk through it together.
What This Has to Do With Your Money
Everything.
At Live Rich Retire Rich, I always say you don't have to choose between enjoying your life now and securing your life later. You get to do both. And the 80 autumns idea makes that crystal clear.
Some of us live only for later. We save and save and save, skip the trip, say no to the dinner, and tell ourselves we'll enjoy life someday. But you deserve to enjoy this autumn too, not just the ones after you retire.
Others live only for now. We spend the harvest before it's grown and forget that our future selves will want their autumns to be rich too.
Living rich and retiring rich means honoring both. The autumn you're in right now deserves joy. Your 75th autumn deserves security. Both of them are you.
And here's the part that makes my finance heart happy. Every autumn you invest is an autumn that compounds. Say you invest $300 a month for the next 20 autumns. At a 7% average annual return, which is never guaranteed, that could grow to roughly $156,000. You'd have put in $72,000. Time did the rest.
That's what wholeness looks like with money. Not fear that you're running out of time. Trust that time is working for you.
Your 11/11 Autumn Practice
This isn't a big, intimidating planning session. Grab a cup of tea, find 15 quiet minutes, and sit with these five prompts.
Count your harvests. Write down three things you've built, saved, learned, or made it through in past autumns. You've already gathered more than you think.
Practice wholeness. List what's already good about your money right now. The emergency fund you started. The debt you paid off. The bill you no longer lose sleep over.
Plant one 11/11 seed. Choose one money intention for the year ahead. Automate a transfer. Open the account. Book the meeting with your advisor. Just one.
Fund your joy. Pick one "live rich" experience you'll give yourself this autumn, guilt-free. Put it in your budget so it's a plan, not an impulse.
Write to your 80th autumn. Write a short note to your future self. Tell her what you're doing today to take care of her.
The Leaves Come Back
Here's the beautiful thing about autumn. It always returns.
The trees let go, rest through the winter, and bloom again in spring. And next November, you'll get another autumn. Another harvest. Another chance to look back with pride and plant with intention.
So 80 autumns isn't a short life. It's 80 doors. Eighty portals, if you want to call them that. And today, on 11/11, you're standing at one of them.
Walk through it from wholeness, not from lack. The rest will follow.
With love and abundance,
Najma ❤️
Live Rich Retire Rich
Najma Zanelli
Explore Offerings
Founder, NAZ Global Consultancy
Follow me on IG: @najma_zanelli
Email: [email protected]
P.S. I'd love to know what seed you're planting today. Hit reply with the word PORTAL and share your one 11/11 money intention. I read every message, and I'll be cheering you on.
