My music collection is as broad as the stuff you'll find in iTunes. I'll listen to just about anything with the exception of classical and deep country-type music. My iPhone rotation is just as eclectic and I'm not ashamed to say that it includes some of American Idols, specifically Daughty and Kris Allen.
Now, I'm not a massive fan of the show, but I'll keep up on it because the show has produces some good artists and music.
Take Kris Allen for example. He's a talented dude but not in a million years would I ever thought I'd have his debut album in rotation nor have an affinity for his big single, "Live Like We're Dyin."
If you pay attention to the lyrics, he has a good message:
Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying
The lyrics got me thinking about how quickly life does pass by. I'll be 37 in December, but I feel like a 20 something in spirit (definetly not shape lol). As I watch my kids get bigger and bigger I tend to think of these live like we're dyin moments. When was the last time you helped a random person by opening a door? How about going the extra mile for a client or co-worker who is in a jam? Or, how about telling those close to you how important they are in your life?
We get so wrapped up in life sometimes that we forget to do the little things that enrich our lives and help others.
As i write this, I am 30k feet in the air, traveling for a client that is in crisis mode. The request for the meeting came in barely 72 hours a ago. But being in the business I am in, you drop everything to help.
This change in schedule of course wreaks havoc at the homestead. The kids don't understand why your going to be home late. The wife will eat dinner alone. It's just one of those odd days that takes everyone out of their rountines. But not only am I doing this for my client, but I am really doing his for my family.
I work in a 24/7 businessness where success is based on speed, efficiency and results. Sometimes trying to meet those goals messes with your personal life but you just suck it up because your client needs you. As a result of doing a good job, you are rewarded with more business, which at the end of the day, helps you further your career professionally and financially. And, at the end of the day, I'm doing what I do because of the four little feet that greet me at the door when I get home (and of course my supportive and loving wife).
So, lesson learned via Kris Allen: live each day in the moment but do it with a purpose and a focus.