[Health Preservation] Live Four Extra Hours Every Day

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Article Date: July 15, 2025, Tuesday, 5:49 AM

If someone asks you: "Fifty million in cash, but you have to wait until you are ninety to receive it all at once, or would you choose to receive five hundred yuan every day starting now for thirty consecutive years? Which one would you choose?"

I think most people would choose the latter without hesitation. Not to mention that fifty million is ten times the former; even if it were twenty times or fifty times, it still wouldn't stop human nature's craving for the "now." Five hundred yuan a day is tangible, accessible money that can buy a favorite cup of coffee, treat a friend to a meal, or even just be used to ensure a good night's sleep. But what about fifty million at ninety years old? By the time that day comes, will the body be able to endure it? Will the mindset still be youthful? Will one still be able to take care of oneself? I believe many people are well aware that all of this is uncertain.

In fact, life expectancy is the same. If I tell you: "You can live for thirty more years after the age of ninety, but these thirty years will require others to take care of you, with tubes, a wheelchair, and supervision, and you won't even be able to eat freely." Would you still be happy? Is it time that is being extended, or suffering? For me, that is not called "living," but "being maintained."

So I would rather choose to live four more hours now—not in terms of physiological extension, but in terms of quality longevity. These four hours do not rely on any medication or technology; they are simply the time I give myself each day to put down my work, step away from my phone, stop worrying about tomorrow, and do only what brings me peace and what I truly enjoy.

You want to ask me how I do it? Please read my article "Listening to the Wind and Enjoying the Rain While Playing Guitar." Every day around five in the morning, I go to the seaside to practice martial arts, watch the sunrise, and take photos of the colorful clouds. I spend some time playing the guitar, not for performance, nor to kill time, but to truly let go and return to purity like a child. During this time, I have no clients, no reports, no tasks, only myself.

I used to be a typical modern person, working ten hours a day and still thinking about the day's events when I got home. At night, I would scroll through my phone and check social media, not to relax, but to escape from stress. Even on holidays, it was hard to truly "rest" because "things weren't finished," "clients hadn't replied," and "plans weren't finalized." Do these thoughts serve any purpose? No. But they act like invisible chains, trapping a person in anxiety and preventing true relaxation. Until one day, I began to intentionally practice letting go—

It's not about putting it down when the pressure is less; rather, it's the other way around: put it down first, and the pressure will naturally feel lighter.

I compress my working hours to the shortest possible time every day, and after work, I completely disregard any work-related matters; on weekends, I do not handle anything related to the company at all. It wasn't easy at first, but after sticking to it for a month or two, I found that my efficiency during the day improved, my mood at night got better, and I felt less fatigued.

More importantly, I feel that time has stretched. This extension is not about having a few more hours, but rather that each hour has become clear and warm. I will remember the way the wind rustles the leaves today, I will remember the sound of raindrops hitting the balcony, I will remember which notes I played wrong in a new guitar piece I practiced, and I will remember the golden sunlight slanting in during dinner. I no longer live by "taking each day as it comes," but instead, I truly immerse myself in each day.

Many people say that this is an ideal state and it's simply unattainable. I understand, because I was once one of those who thought it was "impossible." But now I can tell you: the reason you can't achieve it is not because society doesn't give you time, but because you are unwilling to carve out time for yourself. You give all your time to work, socializing, anxiety, and entertainment, yet you are stingy enough not to grant yourself even an hour of peace.

Some people work tirelessly to earn money, saying they want to travel the world after retirement. But if you keep enduring like this, are you sure you can live to see retirement? Are you sure you'll still have the strength, passion, and health when you retire? I have a friend who is successful in his career and financially free, yet in the past two years, he has spent all the wealth he accumulated over thirty years on medical treatment. He smiled bitterly and said to me, "I earn more than you by more than ten times, but I no longer need it, while you live more comfortably than I do every day." At that moment, I fell silent.

So today, I am not here to teach you how to live longer, but to remind you: you can start living four more hours each day from now on.

It's not about extending physiological life, but about living more consciously, authentically, freely, and joyfully than others. Just four hours a day amounts to one thousand five hundred hours a year, and fifteen thousand hours over ten years. This is a "feeling of being alive" that many people cannot buy back, no matter how much money they spend in their old age.

Rather than betting 50 million at 90 years old, it's better to earn these four hours starting today.

I have been this way for many years, how about you?