Tuesday night we had the traumatic experience of losing my daughter's horse to a sudden onset of severe colic. It's been a while since we've had a death in the family (and Timmy definitely was family), so the event really made me think. Our life on this planet is so beautiful and so fleeting, and it is up to each of us to try and live everyday to the fullest.
In business, it is easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of paperwork, minute details, phone calls, emails and meetings. Until we are slapped in the face by mortality, we have a tendency to just plow forward without thinking about our priorities, dreams or destiny. But your business and your work only exist to support your REAL life - they shouldn't become your life.
I would charge each of you today with the task of examining your professional life and determining how it relates to the things that matter the most. Does your business support your family life or destroy it? Does your company take precedence over travel, sports and fun? Do your professional obligations enable you to live your dream life - or do they make your life a nightmare? Are you in the right career? Do you use your free time wisely or plop down in front of the TV every night? What are you truly contributing to the world? Tough ones, aren't they?
You are not your job. You are a vibrant being whose life should be driven by love, laughter, beauty, art, music, fitness, friends and family. Do a quick 'gut check' today to see if your work persona and the real you are living in balance with each other. If they aren't - take action to bring yourself back to the things that feed your soul.
If you died tonight, would you be happy with the day you lived today? Think about that one...
