The easy solution to the promise in
this week's title is
simple: Choose two. There may be
other solutions, such as
working smarter, shopping for
bargains, inheriting wealth
or winning the lottery, but the
common and simple solution
we can all implement is to choose
wisely. Unfortunately,
few do. Let me share this story by Philip Humbert
"This week I watched a friend wrestle
with one of the great
imponderables of the modern world.
He and his wife planned
a weekend on the Oregon coast to
relax, enjoy great food
and some time by the fireplace.
Then, trouble came. He was
invited to a prestigious (and
expensive) fundraiser and
networking opportunity. What's a guy
to do?! Financially,
he can't afford both. And then
there's that thing about
being in two places at once. He and
his wife would enjoy
both experiences, and that's the
dilemma. How to choose?
It's easy to choose between
attending a great fundraiser
verses a poke with a sharp stick,
but how's a guy supposed
to choose between a romantic weekend
and a great business
opportunity? That's just not fair.
Or easy. Life is cruel.
This may be an extreme example, but
it's also typical of
the choices that confuse our pursuit
of the World Class
Life we all want. We must choose
between so many good
things!
Should the kids go to private
schools, or should we save
for retirement? Should we take a
vacation or remodel the
kitchen? Should I work more to earn
more, or go home to the
family? Too often, the answer to
these questions is simple.
We simply say yes to all of it!
And then a few weeks or months
later, we wonder why we are
stressed, confused and over-whelmed.
Unfortunately, we have been
encouraged to believe we can
"have it all." We should
be able to earn more, work less,
live better, travel more, relax
often, enjoy our kids and
achieve success. Why would anyone
settle for less? It's
just not fair. We shouldn't have to
choose!
Well. I have bad news. Life is
rarely "fair." And I think
that's why the Spanish philosopher,
Ortega, observed that,
"Life is fired at us
point-blank, and we must choose."
Sure, we admire the rich and famous
who appear to "have it
all." We hear about people who
seem to be rich, famous,
successful and happy, and perhaps
they are. Although, I do
notice that even these seemingly
blessed individuals
periodically file for divorce, get
sick, or experience
loss.
So I come back to Ortega's
observation that "we must
choose." It seems to me that
truly successful people are
clear about their priorities and
choices. They commit to
pursuing a limited number of key
goals, and they devote
their lives to them. Here are two
principles I believe are
true and helpful:
1. We can have anything we
choose, but not everything we
want. Our appetites ought to exceed
our grasp. If you can
read this and have internet access,
you have all the tools
you need to change careers, travel,
achieve wealth or fame
or power. But it's unlikely that you
can do all of them at
once. We "must choose."
2. He who finishes happiest,
wins. I don't think finishing
life with a big house, or several
cars, great fame or a
fancy yacht guarantees happiness.
But, spending our lives
doing something important, investing
ourselves in things
that bring meaning and fulfillment
and joy, can bring
happiness. The man or woman who
finishes happiest, wins.
And happiness rarely (occasionally,
but rarely) comes from
having more stuff.
This does not mean having things or
accumulating wealth is
wrong or bad. Of course not! Enjoy
all the stuff you can
honestly and fairly get! We are the
richest people in
history. We are blessed! We can
enjoy lots of stuff! Go for
it! But, also be honest and maintain
some humility.
Happiness comes from clarity. It
comes from deciding who we
are, what we value, and how we will
spend our lives. And
that comes from taking time to think
clearly, make smart
choices, and plan wisely.
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