I had an email exchange with a business associate last night. What started as a work discussion, emerged into a dialog about life and death, values and meaning. She wrote that she had received some bad news lately. I inquired what it was. She told me that she has recently learned that her father has cancer with no chance for a cure.
Silence… reflection… then empathy arose.
When we are obsessively involved with our businesses – as we must sometimes do in order to achieve peak performance – we erect barriers around us that insulate us from life… real life. Only now and again, life leaks in.
I will not attempt to judge, moralize or defend these barriers. Perhaps they play a necessary role, but I will comment that life leaks in sometimes and it changes everything. Some things change for the better, and some things for the worse.
When life leaks in we are forced to re-evaluate what is most important. We are forced to take a hard look at our values and our current plans. We are sometimes forced to our knees at a crossroads of life. This can be painful, but ultimately it is best for all.
This woman’s father is a boat builder. His life and his passion for boats have surely touched many lives. There are people out floating safely on the sea because of his love for design and his dedication to his work. I hope that my business so clearly will help and benefit others like his has done.
Without crisis, we plod along on the path of life and business, sometimes without questioning. Crisis can be a wake-up call and a reminder that things need to change… that old ideas and patterns need to be interrupted… that old ways of working or communicating with others need to be improved… that our primary values are what are most important – whether you are building a business or building a boat.
Life leaks in… and crisis gives us a new chance to re-evaluate.
Rick Salmon is an entrepreneur who believes that this beautiful world that we have created needs our help. Subscribe to this newsletter to receive frequent updates and to join in the process. www.ricksalmon.com
Very well put! I just spent a weekend with my two best friends. Time to think and challenge each other on what is really important to us. We lost our fourth companion to cancer 2 years ago. Speaking about him, I recall his philosofical remark before he died: “I have spent to much of my life energy at work, Per”.
Thanks for the challenge Per. I strongly recommend the book “Tuesdays with Morrie”, which is a series of conversations with a dying man who was smart enough to have lived a life of balance and connection. Beautiful little book.