acroSS the Board

Not on anyone’s list

Alot of my firesisde conversations seem to boil down to two things—discussing over-inflated grandeur of the past, or discussing what we “would do if” it came to our doorstep in these interesting times. As we sit in our comfortable homes, smoking cigars and enjoying the whiskey of choice, these conversations come easily.

What makes my group interesting is that we’ve all had past lives that we wouldn’t wish on anyone, but prove we’re more capable than the average bear. In those early days, we all had similar “lists.” Make a difference, have an amazing family, buy a beautiful home, have enough money that we don’t have worries, etc. As we got a bit older, the list got more refined and included things like making sure our kids grew up to be good adults, leaving behind a legacy that meant something, and building plans that provided for our family no matter what happens.

What is never on anyone’s “list” is “I want to remain strong, fit and healthy.” I was talking to an employee who returned from a family vacation hiking in Zion. As they were huffing up the trail, a group that included a couple in their later years literally flew by them in full sprints. In that split-second, his “wish list” for life was modified by the stark reality that showed him what could have been.

Life has a funny way of creating a false reality for you though. At least for us, our mental picture of ourselves does not match what we see in the mirror in the few times we pause to look carefully. Our young selves used to look at those in charge, who looked a lot like we do now, and bite our tongues when orders or stories were shared. In those days it was us who were capable—strong, quick and effective in all that we did. Perhaps not wise or economical, but we got it done. But now as we share our thoughts on the chaos of our current reality, we talk as if we’re still those young lads and what we would do “if.”

We wish for things and to varying degrees, we exert tireless effort and sacrifice to accomplish them. Building and maintaining a business is not easy. Building and maintaining a marriage and family is not easy. Building wealth and memories are not easy. And yet, these are the things on everyone’s list that they set out to accomplish. They make sacrifice other things in order to achieve these goals, placing them on a different list called, “When I Get to It.”

However, “I want to remain strong, fit and healthy” is like compounding interest—that investment strategy doesn’t work when you ignore it for half of your life. Instead, the stark reality is that just about the time you begin feeling that you’ve accomplished those life goals, you also begin feeling the reality of having forgotten this goal.

As we sat around the fire, we started “what if”ing each

Patrick S. Adams

Publisher/President padams@526mediagroup.com other. What if you were walking to your car and your wife’s purse got snatched? Could you chase them down? If you caught them and they decided to fight, could you? What if there were two of them? What if that guy you’re tailgating and flipping off because he cut you off decides to follow you to work and confronts you in the parking lot? Can you handle it? What if the zombie apocalypse really does happen????

We are “responsible” when we invest in our retirement, buy life insurance, save for college funds, or purchase insurance for our homes and cars. We have “rainy day” funds and we carry some supplies in our vehicles in the event we break down. We have disaster kits in our homes and hoard ammo and toilet paper “just in case.” But, could your body actually execute on any scenario that you have planned and “prepared” for, or was your health one of those things on the “when I get to it” list?

I have tried to stay on top of this for most of my life, but in the chaos of recent life, I’ll admit I’ve fallen off the wagon. As a result, I can feel the weight of my age come crashing down to fill the vacuum left by pausing my daily fight and I can tell you, it is a heavy weight. It is more than aches or pains and more than feeling tired. It is the vitality and vigor that slips away before your eyes, and before you know it, you can’t remember what it felt like before.

So, build a new list that includes your health. It will be very hard. It will not be fun and a million things will stand in your way. Just like when you started a business or found the courage to chase your future spouse or decided to have a family. But just like those things, it is worth it!

It’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Don’t waste today… because there is no guarantee that any of us get a tomorrow. I’m grateful that today, I have this great industry to serve.