“The most important things are almost never urgent.”
Matthew Kelly
I, like Matthew Kelly, believe that what is important in life is not always viewed as critical in our business life. When I was a younger man, I would have adamantly disagreed with that statement. Today, I not only agree but fully understand this life changing truth.
Through the years I have had the privilege of having many candid conversations with people who knew and accepted that their days on earth would soon come to an end. During these intimate discussions the person revealed things to me that they found too uncomfortable to disclose with those they loved. It eventually became clear to me that we all have regrets and that they too wished they had shifted some of their priorities earlier in their life.
We are a self-absorbed creature. We want what we want and live our life in pursuit to that end. It is what I call a blind clear focus. If you have ever used binoculars or a rifle scope, you will understand this analogy. As you peer through the lens your vision scans for the target of your intent. Your mind knows what you are looking for and everything else is ignored as if you are blind to the rest of the images that can be seen clearly but in the movement of the search the images are seen as a cursory blur. We are so intent of securing our targets we are intentionally blinded by our internal wants. This is why we eventually wake up, after living decades of life, only to realize that we missed the key events, moments or people that were the most important parts of our daily life.
I count myself among the guiltiest. I was so focused on building a business, I missed many of my children’s firsts. Their first steps, their first score in a volleyball match or their first broken heart. These firsts are irreplaceable moments I lost forever because they never made it to my calendar. I missed family moments like birthdays, weddings and funerals. Departure parties of friends leaving for the service who never made it back. These were “life important” but they were not urgent because of my laser focus was on other targets.
I do not think this made me a bad person, because all the rewards earned from hitting my targets were for the benefit of those I loved. With that said, if given a do-over, I would do things a little differently so I could have been a better person.
- I would have shifted my schedule by including the Life Important moments.
- I would have scheduled opportunities to be more generous, humbler, more understanding and more tolerant.
- I would definitely have spent more time learning to speak with my heavenly Father.
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others. Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”
