We spend a lifetime working, with little time to think. Have you thought about what you are doing with you life?
“One life to live” is a famous soap opera. It also happens to be a truism. “Life’s too short” is a cliché often repeated but seldom thought about because at the forefront of our minds is “paying the bills,” “feeding the horses,” “putting bread on the table,” and yes, “bringing home the bacon.”
If is often said that a man – or woman for that matter – on his deathbed does not think about his conquests; he thinks about the moments that made him happy. The biggest regret? Why did I not do the things I love to do; spend time with the people I love and who love me. Unfortunately, it is too late by then.
So, have you thought about your last day?
What will you reminisce about? What would your biggest regret be? I am not sure if the hedonists have taken the “live life as if it is your last day alive” mantra to the extreme but they sure do have a point. Are we doing the things we like to do or is our life a series of breaths taken doing things we do not care about?
I have seen people who wake up one morning and decide they want to change their lives – this “midlife crisis” is legendary. I have also seen men who live their entire lives for “retirement,” and when it comes, some do not know what to do with themselves, while others do not live long enough to enjoy this well earned time. Then there are those who live their entire lives in retirement bliss – I am not referring to hippies but professionals who wake up in the morning eager to start the day and go to bed yearning for the next day! To these people “work” is not a four letter word, it is what gives meaning to their existence.
This post almost reads like a “come to Jesus” commercial but it is not intended to be. It is intended to help you think through the “days of your life” and see if they have the meaning you cherish. Are you in the organization and position you want to be in? Are you in an environment that you want to be in? Are you doing the things that you want to do?
Yes, taxes and death are an absolute certainty. One is not likely to enjoy either but can we have the life we want? That is not too much to ask for, now is it?
