The Man On His Deathbed Never Wishes He'd Spent More Time At The Office? Maybe.
You have heard this bit of wisdom from several businesspeople. You hear it in different kinds of conversations.
The statement resonates with you, doesn't it?
It brings up thought of family, lost time spent with children, regrets that maybe he didn't travel enough...smell the roses.you get the idea.
But there is another side to this.
How many people grow old, feeling they didn't take advantage of their opportunities?
Have you ever heard anyone say "You know, one thing I regret is spending so much time improving my families lot in life"?
Has any man ever said "I provided too well for my family, gave them too much security. I wish I would have spent more time at the beach"?
How about "You know, I think I did too much with my life. I learned too much, earned too much, and accomplished just way too much"?
Nobody thinks that. Nobody says that.
I am not saying that spending time with your family (especially young children) isn't important. And many people think of "getting ahead" as something pretty far from the top of their list. That doesn't make them wrong.
Watching TV while your kid plays in their bedroom doesn't count as quality time, by the way.
But there are people, a minority I admit, who have a need to accomplish something more than just raising a family, paying bills, and retiring.
For example, I'm 54 years old.
And when you get to be my age, you can see the finish line. "Do I want to be working in 20 years?", is a question I ask myself.
I have customers that are elderly. They say "I'm 84 years old". I compliment them, as though they did something special.
But here is a reality. If you aren't stuffing yourself with alcohol and tobacco smoke...you can pretty much make it to age 84 without accomplishing a single thing.
The Reverend Robert H. Schuller has this quote; "What Great thing Would You Attempt, If You Knew You Could Not Fail?"
Well, The clock is ticking...for me and for you.
I have my answer to this question...do you?