Practice This

 
by foxypar4

Are you living life you won’t regret about when you are 95?

It is simple yet powerful question that you should answer before it is too late.

Marshall Goldsmith and  Mark Reiter, the authors of the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful ask it very colorfully:

“Imagine you’re 95 years old and ready to die.
…The 95-year-old you understands what was really important and what wasn’t, what mattered and what didn’t  What advice would this wise “old you” have for the “you” who is reading this page? ”

They also provide the answer. It is about doing meaningful work, being surrounded by beloved ones, and following the dream. The answer is based on surveying most talented leaders among 120 organization. It is also based on the intervening people on their deathbed…

Happiness And Meaning Now

Goldsmith and Reiter write:

One recurring theme was to “reflect upon life, to find happiness and meaning now,” not next month or next year.

Either your are a leaf or a manager, are you investing yourself in something meaningful? Does it make you feel happy? Do you make an impact?

It is helpful to have a clear career model as described in Fear No Recession – Surpass Your Career Potential. It helps to Apply 80/20 Principle. When you focused you get results, you make the difference, you create something meaningful. How does it feel? Happy?

Family And Friends

Goldsmith and Reiter write:

A second recurring theme was “friends and family”. Consider this: You may work for a wonderful company, and you may think that your contribution to that organization is very important. When you are 95 years old and you look at the people around your deathbed, very few of your fellow employees will be there waving good bye. Your friends and family will probably be there only people who care. Appreciate them now and share a large part of your life with them.

One of the career models is about “What do you want to do more/less of each day?”

I adopted this model lately. I want to “do” my kids more. I want to do my “wife” more. I want to “do” myself more. As I started to do that more I realized how powerful and meaningful it is both ways. What I need to do more is to “work” less each day, and that can be accomplished by productizing myself. I need to package myself and massively reuse myself. That way I get predicted results faster which should lead to more free time with beloved ones.

Follow Your Dream

Goldsmith and Reiter write:

Yet another recurring theme was “follow your dream”…Figure out your true purpose in life, and go for it! This doesn’t apply just to big dreams; it is also true for little dreams. Buy the sports car your always wanted, go to that exotic locale that’s always held your fascination, learn how to play the piano or speak Italian, If some people think your vision of a well liver life is a bit goofy or off-beat, who cares? It isn’t their life. It’s yours.

That is the hardest part. I am having hard times to define what dream is for me. Can you? On other hand I can relate the dream definition to success, and success for me is John Wooden’s:

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable”

My mind is peaceful (it wasn’t until not long ago). Does it mean I am successful? Does it mean I am living my dream?

Practice This – Get Results

• Work on meaningful stuff that matters – be happy. 
• Invest in your first and the best customers – your family and your friends.
• Read What Got You Here Won’t Get You There - make your dream come true.

My Related Posts

• John Wooden’s 12 Lessons In Leadership [For Kids]
• Do You Have The Dream Job?
• One, Two , Three – Is This Manager For Me?