Imagine when you were ten years old. Remember the dreams you had, the ambitions and the energy within. You felt like you could literally take on the world! Then you grew up, got a degree, a job or a business, a good position, probably married too and had kids. You wake up every morning and have almost a predictable routine, the challenges you face in a day, the traffic you have to beat in the morning and the evening, probably watching some TV, have some food, go to bed… only to wake up the next morning to almost the same routine!
Is the life just a game of this routine? Or can you pursue something more powerful, worthy and great?
I was recently having a discussion with a few top professionals from their respective areas, but interestingly most of them said that they are not truly enjoying their lives, as they used to when they were ten years old. In fact, many of the thousands of people I encountered feel the same way – they wish to be ten years old again and design their life in a totally different way.
Well, we all know that we cannot be ten again, but can still design the rest of the life in a meaningful way to avoid the disappointment twenty years down the road.
Instead of counting the years in your life, you can fill life in rest of the years. You can reignite those dreams again and chalk out the map for the next 10, 20, 30 and more years of your life. I call it “life by design”, which is opposite to the “life by default” that majority of us are stuck with!
Reflect about the following questions and answer honestly for yourself:
- Do you feel highly excited every day when you wake up and leave the home?
- Some people live, as if they never die, and some people die, as if they have never lived. Which group of people would you like to belong to?
- Imagine today is the last day of your life – what is the greatest impact in the world you have created and leaving behind?
- Are you willing to die for where you spend most of your time and energy?
- Imagine, if you have a framework for managing your life in a way that makes you invincible!
- Do you think you have limited resources to fulfill your dreams? I bet you’ve got unlimited!
- If you were able to be a member of the audience at your funeral in 25 years or so, what would you want to hear people say?
- If you are a parent, where do you want to see your generations 100 years down the road?
- If you are running an organization (even the smallest one), where do you see it three generations from now?
With over 20 years of research and experience with hundreds and thousands of people hailing over 80 nationalities, very few were able to articulate all of the above questions clearly. Consequently, we have seen a pattern of ultimate success; and a pattern of ultimate failure, too!
So how do you make sure that you select a road in life, where the only turns you make are the right ones, especially when many are walking behind you?
As a head of the household, an organization or an important member of a community, your vision, its clarity and foundation are crucial not just for you, but for the future of all those, who are following in your footsteps.
Life is short and you still have to play your best shot! So, don’t compromise on your life and embark on the journey of developing meaningful existence and life.
About author
