#14: Without Losing Sight

What’s most important in your life?
 
“Family,” “Work,” “Friends,” or “Passion?” Is it a “Person?” Or a “Something?” Or something intangible like a “Memory?”
 
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc. – the largest company in the world – once said:
 
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life . . . And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition . . . Everything else is secondary.”
 
Nonetheless, the so-called “Those who’ve made it” are often known to leave a message akin to the following as end of life approaches.
 
I’ve devoted a sizable chunk of my life to work, made more than enough money, and amassed great wealth. I’m extremely proud of my achievements and really couldn’t ask for more. Yet, as I near the end of my life and stare at death up close facing me, none of that seems to matter anymore. Wealth and recognition seem so meaningless in the face of approaching end. I knew all along that our times have a finite end – that all our times are limited. Why didn’t I spend more of that precious time in smiles and laughter with my loved ones? Why didn’t I do more to bring peace and happiness to the world?
 
Some say that even Jobs voiced a similar sentiment.
 
In our adult life, we come across multiple junctures.

For instance, they may be employment, marriage, parenthood.
Marriage of a child, grandparenthood, retirement.
Passing of a loved one, and our own passing.

And at each of these junctures, it’s imperative that we engage ourselves to ask, “What’s the most important thing in my life?” and arrive at our own answer.
 
Your answer may change shape over time – from juncture to juncture. Or, it may not budge an inch. It may be comparable to the answers of those around you, or it may have no resemblance at all. What’s important is that we consciously arrive at our own genuine answer with clarity.
 
And from time to time, despite the hectic paces of our modern life, it’s also imperative to reflect upon our own answer by asking ourselves, “Am I living my life consistent to what’s most important?” By so doing, when our reflection exposes a concerning level of deviation, we can bring about a change to our present path and choices in life.
 
What’s the most important thing in life?

That is, what you would like your loved ones to remember about you after your passing. That is, what would allow you to rest in peace and happiness if you were remembered as a person of “So and so.”

And, above all else, that would allow you to honestly say as you near the end that, “I lived my life consistent to what’s most important.” That your heart would flow with calm and serenity as you leave no regret in life.
 
Without losing sight of that, perhaps, is the unvarnished meaning of “Living my own life.”

Read Theme: Perspective