RSSOver the last couple of days I’ve heard two pieces of news which have really made me think about the important things in life.
First of all, I found out late on Friday that a (younger) colleague of mine in a previous job – a guy I didnt know that well but who was full of life and I thought quite highly of - has been undergoing chemotherapy for about a month (Scott, hope it works well and you come out fighting fit).
Secondly, today I read the news headlines that Barack Obama’s grandmother, the lady who raised him when he was young, passed away on the eve of what will most probably be his election as US President, the greatest achievement of his life.
These two pieces of news have bought to the top of my mind a few things that I have believed in for a quite a while, namely:
- Dont sweat the small stuff – Its not worth worrying about minor things in life. Doing this will only make you uptight, and will mean that you won’t be able to enjoy the more important things that surround you.
- Success at work shouldnt be at the price of family - Whilst everyone likes to achieve success at work (including me) , when it comes down to it this is really only so that I can provide my family with as much as possible, and enjoy my time with them. This also means that I will never let work take over my life to such an extent that my family life is severely impacted.
- Life is short – To me this doesnt need a lot more explanation, as it encapsulates the above two points. Basically, something could happen to anyone at any time that could severely impact on their quality of life. Given this, its not really worth getting too worked up over things, or too focussed on work as it cant do any good.
I am going to make sure that in my life I never forget these principles in whatever I do.
