Friday, February 18, 2011

Does Your Life Plan Sound Like a Lunch Plan?

Q. What will you do with your life?

A. I’m going to marry by 30, have two kids by 35 and make at least 150k by 40. I'll retire by 65...oh and I’d like to have a mountain house and a sailboat. Some day.


Q. What would like for lunch?

A. I’ll have a roast beef and Swiss on rye, extra mustard, hold the onions…oh and I’d like a large side of coleslaw with some extra dill pickles. To go.


Hauntingly similar wouldn’t you say?  There are a few differences however. Firstly, there is no Zagat rating for your life. Secondly, if you are engaged in a life “on the menu", chances are great that you are being drenched by a soggy pickle and smothered on the bottom of a brown paper bag. However, unlike this glum and lonesome scenario…you are not alone. 

Most likely you are one of the tens of millions that have been misguided by the long standing street sign ushering them toward a, presumed, life well-lived – the one that reads…this way to more stuff.


Consider this. Do you think that you will remember the number of sunsets you have ever seen, or the particular sunset that snuck up on a rather dark moment; the one with a hue so golden you swore you saw the gates of heaven...and, graciously, you exhaled. Will your marriage be valued by the number of romantic vacations or by the moment you received that bad-news-phone-call and your partner embraced you with the most intense tenderness you have ever felt - their heart thumping straight through your chest. Will you sit with your grandson on your knee and tell him how many raises you received? Or will you share the story of "a hero who stood up for his personal values, smack in the center the boardroom – even though it put his whole career at risk"....and watch the courage blossom in his eyes.


Will your legacy be held in the arms of a champion…or guy one who reached all the check points.


It seems life is not keeping count after all. It is simply residing in the moments that make us feel alive. Life sings when we stop and listen to its awe. It abounds with great acts of compassion and soars beneath wings that are spread in defiance of fear. And, life, is as individually unique as it is far …from the menu.


So the next time someone says, what will you do with your life? The answer is quite simple.


I will live it.


and so you will,


Mo