Experience Life Now

Lori Beatles As a huge fan of rock and roll, I introduced my children to great music as infants. As a result, both of my girls have become huge Beatle fans. A few years ago, Paul McCartney came to Florida. I took my eldest daughter to see him and she was blown away. I turned on the radio a couple of weeks ago and they were mentioning that Paul was no longer going to tour. They went on to say that he isn’t physically up to it and is having trouble remembering lyrics. The first thing that went through my head is that I never had the opportunity to take my younger daughter, Lori, to see him, and now she never will. As I continued to listen they mentioned that it was Paul Simon. Since the two are roughly the same age I decided to take this as a sign. I immediately got online to see if McCartney was touring. He was, but not only were there no dates in Florida, there was nothing in the Southeastern U.S. The closest city I could find was Cleveland, and the show was a week away. To make things worse, it was on a Thursday, which meant she would have to miss school. I convinced my wife that 20 years from now she wouldn’t remember the second day of school, but she would never forget the experience of seeing a Beatle. I’m writing this on my return flight after one of the most incredible experiences we have ever shared. Not only did we get to see the show, but we also made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The message here is simple: stop waiting and experience life now.

Compile a list of life experiences that you want to have. What are you passionate about? Are there things you’d like to do that you haven’t? How about adventures that you’ve had that you’d like to repeat? What’s stopping you? Is it time, money, lack of motivation? If motivation is the problem, there is no better time than now to do something about it. Whether you’re an avid golfer and there’s a course you’ve always dreamed of playing, or you’re a skier and there’s a mountain you’d love to experience: begin making the arrangements to make it happen. If your hurdle is related to money, can you begin to set aside the resources you need to make your endeavor possible? If time is the challenge, are you able to make arrangements to have someone cover for you at work? Can you pick a time that’s slower in your business, or accumulate enough vacations days so that you can get away?

I know many people who are in relationships where their significant other is precluding them (often subconsciously) from pursuing their passions. I’ve been in relationships that were all encompassing. I often felt like I lost myself and was living someone else’s life. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a married a woman who understands my passions in life, shares many with me, but realizes that it’s important for us to occasionally spend time away doing those things that we enjoy. I have a deep passion for live music that she doesn’t share. She honors my passion by providing me the space to do it. She enjoys scrapbooking. It’s not my thing, so she’ll do excursions with friends focused around scrapbooking. It’s healthy for both of us individually, and it’s healthy for our relationship. Regardless of where you are, if you feel like you need some space, share this blog with your partner and allow it to be the catalyst for a heartfelt discussion.

Value experiences over things. The happiest people are those that spend their resources on experiences rather than on accumulating more stuff.

We assume that a day will come when we will have the chance to do all the things we dream about. What if that day never comes? We all know stories of people that get ill or die before taking the opportunity to experience their greatest desires. Stop wanting and start planning.

The goal is to experience life now. If you haven’t yet put together your list, start by picking one experience that you want to have and begin planning it. Do it now. Send me an email ([email protected]) and let me know what it is. Now you’re accountable.