“I Have More Money Than I Can Possibly Spend…”
A multi-millionaire made this statement to me once, and he was right. The rest of the sentence that came out of his mouth is what struck me hard, and forever changed my definition of being rich. It also changed the way I served my clients.
“…,but I’ve lost everyone that matters to me in the process.”
Variations of this scenario have come up time and time again over the past ten years, whether it’s having a spouse leave or grown children who barely know you. Too often we rationalize that we are taking care of our family by providing for them, but if we are not investing in those relationships we are providing for, an empty emotional bank account can leave you bankrupt.
As a financial advisor I conduct seminars that called, “Financial Keys to Success.” During that seminar attendees are asked this very pointed question:
If you had great health, and enjoyed all the normal physical capabilities, and yet you knew you had exactly six months to live – what would you do?
The challenge then becomes even more difficult by allowing only sixty seconds for all the attendees to write down at least five things.
Think about it. What would you write?
It’s an interesting thing to watch the faces as they grow serious and intent. People all around the room are furiously writing their answers.
There’s no secret to what most of the answers are. Not once has anyone wrote down that they would immediately go out and buy a bigger house. Or invest in more stocks and bonds. Or ask for a promotion at work.
What do you think is at the top of nearly every list? If you said anything to do with relationships you win the prize.
Attendees are then encouraged not to wait for a “death sentence” to get started on their list.
Valuable relationships are essential to living a rich, fulfilled life on purpose; and such relationships never happen by accident. Nor should relationship nurturing be postponed.
Have you ever been guilty of saying (or even thinking) “I’ll have more time with my spouse after I retire”? Or “I’ll spend more time with the kids after this business is up and running”?
What if that kind of tomorrow never comes? Take a moment and answer the question presented above. What’s at the top of your list?
The person who lives a fulfilled, rich life doesn’t place relationships on the back burner to simmer until later in life. The rich life is one where relationships are invested in and tended to on a daily basis. Determine that you will spend quality time with those who mean the most to you. And do it today.
Beau, This is a great article that really inspires you to remember the importance of keeping things in perspective. Thanks for sharing it.
Blessings~denny hagel
This has so many points. My passion would be to never miss another moment of my boys life because of work. I do all I can now to stay in the loop – go with out sleep – plan more vacations that I ever have and love every moment of it – the only time I get upset is when I watch them go down the road with out me and I am headed to the job. That is painful. My business will lead me to that freedom but I am not waiting on tomorrow – I want it today.
Nice reminder, Beau. Thank you! I struggle with this a bit – so busy getting my business off the ground and always wanting to spend more time with my little guy. Like Angela, I want that life now, but I need to put in the time now. It’s a funny balance…
Ouch! This hit home, Beau. I get so consumed in my business or my singing career that I feel I don’t have time to even make a phone call to my friend Julee back in California. She’s one of the most important people in my life, and since I moved to New York, we don’t talk as much as we used to. Same is true with my friends Susan and Sandy.
Thank you for showing me how I’ve impoverished myself by not even picking up the phone.
You all hit the nail on the head!
Finding that elusive balance seems to be skill that ties it all together.
Thanks for the reminder about what really matters. My family is the reason I work as hard as I do, but always I need to make sure I don’t do it at their expense.
It took a very personal wake-up call for me to sit down and REALLY give this some thought. The question that got me seriously rethinking everything about how I was “living” was … “What is going to be said about you when you finally graduate school-house and WHO is going to be saying it …??” Awesome post Beau ! Blessings to you !!
Great reminder Beau! Sometimes it’s such a struggle to keep that balance, both time wise and emotionally, in terms of not worrying or thinking about my business while I’m supposed to be having quality “family time.” That’s a skill that I could definitely use some training on!
Short and potent Beau! Thanks for the reminder, I’m going to blast this into 1’s and O’s…all over the world. Thank you.
How many times do we hear people mention…”if you had 6 months left to live what would you do?”. Only thing is that most of us just hear the question and never stop to think what we would actually do. We miss a great opportunity for wisdom and possible change when we don’t take the time to really consider this question. I remember after Sep 11th visiting a firehouse in New York City and speaking to some of the firefighters about how that event had changed all our lives. It was sad to hear them speak about how we tend to move on after something like this and forget all the things we said we would do differently, and then never get to them. That meeting with these brave men was a profound moment for me.
Sharon
http://www.sharonworsley.com/blog
There’s nothing like “true wealth” which begins with our most important relationships! Well said, Beau!