In the book Die Empty, Todd Henry talks about the pent up value found in graveyards. There, he points out, are all the unwritten books, all the unfulfilled dreams, all the ideas that were never followed through on.
Life is so short. We who live life aggressively, who pursue our professional course with fervor, often fail to really internalize the intensity of such a statement. Life is short. It is precious. It is completely unscripted, the greatest improvisation. Even in the midst of successful careers, the fulfillment of potential and the ambitious pursuit of achievement, we can lose track of time. We can look up, surprised at the late hour. We can fail to live the life we really want.
Success is all too relative a term. More starkly, it is a fairly useless descriptor when it is not synonymous with deep peace and happiness. When it has another meaning, it is merely an obsession with external validation.
Too often, the pursuit of lesser definitions of success means the tabling of dreams, the putting-off of priorities. It means measurement by numbers that are completely arbitrary for every blink of time but the blink that was our life. The enemy of great is good, and many times these superficial definitions of success are just that: good, but not great.
You probably have a good thing going right now. You probably shouldn’t disrupt that on a whim. But if you took two hours in a peaceful place to sit and think about your life, what would your thoughts be? Would you reflect in peace and tranquility on a life you’re proud to have led? Or is there a possibility that you might spend those two hours thinking about what has to get done next, what you wish you could be doing, or reflecting on regrets?
It’s a personal assessment, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of if you feel like there’s still a lot on the table waiting to be done. Awareness is the first step to prioritization and progress. So take some time to reflect, to think about what you really need to act on in order to leave your mark on this world. Don’t leave your ideas in the graveyard!
Question: If nothing was in your way, what would you do for the rest of your life?
