Expiration Date

Death. Father Time. Entropy. Moving on. Whatever you call the end of life…its record is unbeaten. We all die, even the greats. Even the ones who had yet to discover their greatness.

I talk a lot about ‘balance’ and making sure we are working to live…not just living to work. And it’s gotten me snarky responses about how I’m “weak.” Or…my personal favorite “not hungry.” I read comment after comment on social media about “not sleeping means I’m making more money than you.” I can’t help but feel sad for these people.

When we’re born, each and everyone of us is stamped with an expiration date. The chilling part is, we don’t know what that date is. Yet all of us live as if that date exists in some distant year, far, far in the future. We put off so many things because we assume tomorrow is coming. We put off telling those around us how we feel, we put off that vacation, we put off applying for that job, we put off trying that new thing…all because we assume tomorrow is assured.

For many around the world…today is it. Their expiration date is here.

We’re so hyper-focused on accomplishments and awards and KPIs and 1’s and 0's…and not nearly focused enough on the stories we leave behind. Did we show compassion? Did we make someone's life just a little easier? Were we there for our friends and family? Did we watch enough sun-rises and sunsets? Did we take enough walks? Did we breathe in the ocean air? Climb a mountain? Fish in a lake? Sled down a hill?

That Circle-of-Golden-Excellence-President-BS-Award that you’re so proud of today? It will be gathering dust tomorrow and…someday…it will be sitting in a dumpster. That boss who is so proud of you for getting to the office at 5AM to make 50 more cold-dials? They won’t even come to your funeral.

This isn’t a knock on work or the value of work. We should do meaningful work. We should do work we’re proud of. We should do work that outlasts us. But not to the detriment of everything else in our lives. Not to the point of being absent from the lives of our loved ones. Not work that forces us to miss dinners with family nor work that finds us spending vacations in front of a laptop.

There are those that will read this and leap to asinine conclusions: “oh, if everyone thought this way, nothing would get done!” My suggestion isn’t to abandon responsibilities and live like a hippie…but, again, live a life of balance. Do work. Deliver results. But go home for dinner. Put the phone down during your kid’s choir concert. And maybe, just maybe...once in awhile read a book for fun, not for 'productivity!'

It’s not a hard concept, but so many…in order to justify their own shortcomings…throw out exceptions. “Great, so, if you get in a wreck, but it’s the surgeon’s dinner time…too bad for you!” Come on. Don’t be obtuse.

You know what I think? Those that push-back against balance…those that name-call and come up with these exceptions? They’ve neglected the other side of the coin. They’ve neglected life. Neglected family. Neglected friends. And they are miserable. They are looking for justification that spending 18 hours a day in the office…has meant something. That their divorce due to their over-working…meant something. That missing out on their kids’ growing up…meant something.

It didn’t. If you’ve sacrificed relationships…experiences…time…in the pursuit of KPIs and awards? It’s been in vain. You didn’t do it for your family nor to “provide…” you did it for your own damn ego.

Life is so painfully short. There’s so much to see and do. So much to experience. So many books to read. Stories to share. And so little time.

Do work. Deliver results. Be proud of the work. But live life. Break bread with friends and family. Go see the world…or whatever parts of it you can afford to see.

Your expiration date is already stamped.

The clock is ticking towards the inevitable.