When it boils down to it, life is really only about two things…
Health and relationships.
Without health, it’s hard to live the life you want. Without relationships, life just doesn’t have the same zing.
Despite the importance of both, many people seem to take them for granted.
Let’s start with health.
It should go without saying that our health is important and yet, day in day out, most of us are guilty of eating something that is less than good for us.
Potato chips, a chocolate bar, candy, cigarettes, a bottle of wine…we all have our vices.
Me, I’m guilty of eating two yummy chocolate chip cookies tonight. And since I’m no longer 18, I can feel it.
You see, there is a problem – we’ve only got one body.
We have two eyes, two hands, two legs, one stomach, you get the picture. Every one of these is irreplaceable. And more over, priceless.
A Ferrari costs $150,000…but how can you put a price on seeing?
We can replace a car, but our body is with us for the long haul…and I do mean THE long haul.
And yet, so many of us treat it like garbage.
There are people who watch their pets diets like a hawk and yet can’t even see their own feet. It’s crazy.
The sad truth is that most people only care about their health when it’s gone.
Their teeth are rotting, their lungs black, their bones brittle, their eyesight deteriorating…but they do little about it.
Then one day the pain begins and suddenly people spring into action.
The result, expensive procedures that may or may not work…most of which could have been avoided with a little care.
We all want our Toyota to keep running, so we take it in for a tune-up once a year or so. Our body, on the other hand, is put through the works and we expect it to just keep on ticking.
So many of us think we have plenty of time.
That we’ll start our new diet regiment tomorrow. That we’ll get in shape tomorrow.
And then one day, years down the line, tomorrow actually arrives and we have a lot of catching up to do.
I think my mentor, Jim Rohn, said it best, “Treat your body like a temple…not a woodshed.”
Thanks to my wife, I’ve never been healthier.
I have a balanced diet. I do yoga for my body and mind. And recently our entire family decided to start doing Karate.
And just to be safe I get my blood checked every few months.
Simply put, I’m doing what I can to stay healthy for as long as I can.
You can never be too careful when it comes to your health.
With health taken care of we can turn our focus to achievement and contribution.
In either case, relationships take center stage.
Failure is that much harder without having a friend’s shoulder to cry on, and victories much less sweet when you don’t have someone to share them with.
Our family and friends are often the reason many of us do what we do.
And it’s the relationships we develop and the stories we share that what we remember as the years go by.
Every successful business is nothing more than a good leader, a product of value and relationships. And the product isn’t all even that important.
Most people don’t realize that after the war the Sony corporation began by a group of I believe 12 people with the desire to make a difference.
While Sony started out fixing radios, their first product was actually a rice cooker.
Only one problem, it was defective.
It was a memorable failure for Ibuka and Morita and their team but it did not deter their drive to create quality products for the Japanese people. It was this drive that led Sony to become synonymous with innovation in the late 20th century.
It’s amazing what people that share a common goal can achieve.
Despite what people might think, it’s more one man than a product that leads a business to success.
All one has to do is look at Apple, FB, Microsoft, Zappos, Amazon, Walmart and many many more to confirm this fact which is why many businesses flounder when there are leadership changes.
Relationships in both our business lives and our social lives are often what make the difference between success and failure, between happiness and sadness.
And yet how many times have people left you hanging, forgotten dates, shown up late for appointments, or broken their promises to you.
Relationships are like bank accounts.
You can either add to them (by doing good things), or withdraw from them (by asking favors or disappointing people). The key is not going bankrupt.
I’ve had “friends” that cleaned out their accounts long ago…and all I can say is good riddance.
Life is too short to spend with people who don’t care enough about you.
Move on. The relationships you develop with often make you or break you.
Build relationships that are mutually supportive, by doing so you set yourself up for success in both business and life.
Adrian Shepherd