I love people who live what they believe.
It’s so easy to get off track and forget our priorities in life.
I remember a time when I was working to the exclusion of almost everything else in my life. It needed to be done – what choice did I have?
There were a lot of choices in there, if I cared to look at them – the main one being whether I wanted to continue to work for an employer who continued to add to my workload when it was already above capacity. I knew I worked faster and more efficiently than the average employee, but instead of that giving me more free time it brought me more work.
One day it occurred to me if I listed my priorities in life, work would not be near the top of my list. I made a couple of changes, but still did not correct the deficit in my priorities. It took several years of contemplation to get there and even then I still felt paralyzed. It’s hard to change.
If you say faith, family, friends, and fun are what mean most to you (as I do), the hours in your day should reflect that. Work is usually necessary, but how can you keep it in its proper place?
Money was never a priority for me (good thing), nor was power. Living a rich life always has always been.
When I lost my job at 58 due to an office closure, and after a period of interviewing and realizing people not only considered 58 old but they expected me to work for far less money, I did some soul searching.
For me it meant selling my house, reducing expenses, and using the equity in my house to live on while working only a few months a year. That’s worked out well for me. My house was not only not a priority, but often a burden.
I travel, I write, I read, I hang out with the little ones in my family (and the big ones, too), I support my community, I spend time with friends, visit with my mom who has Alzheimer’s, judge literary contests and film festival entries- the days fill quickly. My life is full of joy, and I get better at living that every day. These days my life reflects my priorities quite well.
Invest in those things you love. I’m investing in living what I believe.
“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.” – Bob Dylan
In the Box, Out of the Box 