Sacrificing Life

Don't sacrifice your life to work and ideals. The most important things in life are human relations. I found that out too late. - --Katharinde Susannah Prichard Australian Author

One day flows into the next….deadlines come and go as does one project after another. And before you know it a week has passed, then a month and then years where all you have to measure them by is the dollar or the deadline met or even a plaque given to you by your organization thanking you for a ‘job well done’.

And as you’re patted on the back and congratulated, your life has gone by the wayside. I hear from clients who have recently retired that the weeks are like a series of weekends. They had so looked forward to retirement and everything they were going to do. The time came and after a few weeks discontent set in. When I explored the whys with them it was usually because they had forgotten their life. People had come and gone without them even noticing and they were left with a great deal of emptiness. Then what?

I can almost hear the arguments coming….how it won’t happen to ‘you’. My question is, especially if you're that angry….hasn’t it already?

It’s the people in your life that will make the difference, not the things, the plaques or the company watch. Companionship they are not. The person who would have debated with you, explored, shared and laughed with you has moved on, tired of waiting for you to take notice or take the time. What have you sacrificed for work? What have you gained by losing the people in your life? Tough questions, aren't they?

I teach balance. Some scoff and wonder if I practice it and the answer is yes. This week will be spent recuperating after an intense contract….exploring, taking pictures, writing and sharing time with some of the special people in my life. And for those who are too busy to join in, even on the weekend….I wonder if they’ll notice when the time comes and those they treasured just won’t be around anymore?

I know…I’m pushing your buttons right now and you’re getting angry. GOOD! It’s a wake-up call. Time is the one thing you can never recapture. It has to be taken… now, not later. Time doesn’t work that way.

So If I’m making you angry, I’ve achieved my goal. And instead of arguing with me about it, take that same amount of time to do something about it.

Wishing you the best RIGHT NOW…..not a day, a week, a month…..or a year from now….
It might just be a lifetime.

Donna Karlin