Length: 727 Words Reading Time: 3 Minutes
On December 18, 2008, I suffered a Sub-Arachnoid Hemorrhage (the term alone is frightening enough), and, for those of you with a medical bent, a SAH is a severe medical emergency for anyone―a significant percentage of individuals who suffer one never makes it to the hospital.
I spent two weeks in an Intensive Care Unit over Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Fortunately, by the grace of God and the love and caring of my lovely lady, Cheri, I was released from the hospital on New Year’s Day without any neurological deficits. Cheri took care of me in those critical first two weeks after my release from the hospital and nursed me back to health and my former self, which, I must say in hindsight, was not an easy task. I am not the best of patients.
God truly blessed me, but the greatest gift that God bestowed on me was a wonderful awareness of life and a realization of how truly magnificent life is. As I walked to my office each day, I was amazed at my heightened level of awareness. I could feel the cool breeze against my face, hear the birds chirping, and see the color of the flowers and greenery all around me. This awareness stayed with me all day, and I often stopped during my day to thank God. I frequently asked God to give the people I passed on the street this level of awareness too, so they have the gift I have, without experiencing what I went through.
Not long after my release from the hospital, I was walking in a section of DC called Adams Morgan. I saw a small store selling Tibetan curios and handicrafts, and I went in. There were some scrolls for sale that had on them quotes from the Dalai Lama. As I read them, they resonated with me at a deep level. One was titled “A Precious Human Life,” and a second was “Never Give Up.” “Precious Human Life” contained these profound thoughts—“I am alive, I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.” “Never Give Up” was equally as powerful—“Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind, instead of the heart. Develop the heart. Be compassionate, not just to your friends but to everyone.” These two scrolls now hang in my home, and I try to read them every day.
I once heard Jim Rohn say at one of his seminars that “Life is short, even at the longest.” I agree. Each day of life is precious and like a beautiful jewel that must be polished and enjoyed. Each day contains only 1,440 minutes. The time we lose or misuse in a day is lost forever.
I am in the second half of my life (regardless of what life expectancy I choose for myself), and I now see that the second half can be the most significant part of one’s life. Life is often won, as in the sports we play, in the second half or last quarter. We have the wisdom to make a difference to the world, but we must make a conscious effort to do so.
If your life is all about you, then you are not living it as fully as you might. Every action that we take in life has two consequences—it either moves us closer to God or moves us farther away. The choice is ours.
Where does all this lead? Well, let me close with six questions to reflect upon:
1. Are you mentoring or coaching one or more young people and helping to build leaders for the future?
2. Have you written down your purpose or highest goal in life, and are you actively pursuing that purpose/goal?
3. What value are you adding to the lives of other people?
4. What difference or contribution can you make to our country and your community?
5. Are you creating a pocket of excellence around you with your family and in your business or community?
6. What are your core values in life, and what drives you every day?
Live each day as if it were your last because someday you will be right.