The fictional character Ferris Bueller once infamously observed, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
So many of us fail to do precisely this. We allow the natural majesty of our planet, all that we have accrued and accomplished, and the finer moments of our personal lives to slip by unnoticed, or at least unappreciated. Soon, we find ourselves looking back at our lives regretfully, reflecting on missed opportunities that slipped through our fingers like sand.
While there are several reasons this occurs, there is no doubt that the competitive nature of the modern world is a major contributing factor. We are continuously encouraged to seek elevated achievements, set new goals and, often, accumulate more material possessions than we really need.
It is perhaps the business community that is most impacted by this thinking. There is no doubt that positives can be derived from this, but sometimes the costs outweigh the benefits.
People working in commerce, and particularly those driving the companies, are highly vulnerable to mental health problems, which often emanate from a lack of balance in their lives. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States found that 72 per cent of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues, compared to 48 per cent of non-entrepreneurs. In our instant gratification, hyper-competitive, advanced consumer culture of mass media, 100-hour work weeks, and easy access to unhealthy and fast-food options, it is extremely easy to allow your physical health to slide.
In our recently released novel, Soar: A Soul’s Quest, a young eagle, Soar, succinctly embodies the mindset of many folks who are business-oriented. He is headstrong, ambitious, and driven, feeling constricted and confined by what he perceives as the mundane existence others lead. Soon, Soar is forced to abandon life familiar to him and embark on a personal journey. On this epic and transformative journey of discovery, Soar learns critical life lessons.
At the heart of Soar is a quest for excellence, self-improvement, personal mastery, and being the best version of yourself, wrapped in a beautiful and inspiring fable. If we are forever focused on some imagined future goal, we will likely never arrive at our destination. Virtually all of us are guilty of being so focused on the outcome of our work that we forget to relish the process. If everything in our lives is goal-oriented, we will never appreciate these accomplishments when they do arrive.
As Ferris noted, we need to stop and look around every once in a while. Ideally, more than once in a while! We can never truly better ourselves if we can’t appreciate what we already have.
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