A young man named Phil decided after completing the MBA from Stanford University to pursue his obsession with selling Japanese shoes in the US. He worked very hard, made a lot of sacrifices, survived economic headwinds, and created a world-renowned company we know today as ‘NIKE.’ But, life is a trade-off; doing something means not doing something else. Phil Knight, the founder of NIKE, writes in his book, ‘Shoe Dog’:
“Of course, above all, I regret not spending more time with my sons”
Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse and author of a book, "Top 5 Regrets of the Dying", revealed that one of the most common regrets was “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.'' She writes:
“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. ...deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”
Jim Carey, who we all know from the movie ‘The Mask’, famously said:
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer”
In this world of goals, dreams, chaos, and distractions, are you not forgetting something important in your life that will matter most in the end?
There are many videos, lectures, and classes that will challenge you to think big, make goals, chase your dreams, etc. Today, I want you to challenge yourself by a question which will save you from any regrets in the end:
What are you not willing to sacrifice, no matter what?
More importantly, my idea of how you are going to stay true to whatever answer(s) to the above question you may come up with will make a significant impact on how you are going to live your life from now onwards. As it has made in my life.
Schedule one hour every week as if it is going to be the last hour of your life. What would you do in your last hour of life?
Remember, what you will do in that hour is what you have committed not to sacrifice, so you must do it every week consistently, no matter what. If you do that, your life will be very different.
"One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted. Do it now."
-- Paulo Coelho