Thursday, November 30, 2017

In search of fulfillment

Ted. My last working day was exactly one year ago, 11/30/16. Last night, Judy and I returned to “the scene of the crime” as the current owners of the business that I helped found in 1996 invited us back for the company's annual Christmas party. It was a lot of fun and we heard stories of the busy, happy and rewarding year that they have enjoyed in my absence, which did my heart good. The company, owners and employees are flourishing.

By contrast, though, many friends and family members that we are visiting with now, appear to be suffering, and not flourishing. They are either stuck in jobs that they don't like or, having retired, are trapped in frustrating volunteer commitments.

Today, I read an article at Forbes.com by John Coleman entitled “The Crucial Thing Missing From the Work-Life Balance Debate.” It caused me to reflect on the choices that I am making as well as those of others I have been speaking with recently. Here’s a link if you want to read it yourself:


Mr. Coleman challenges us to examine where we spend our time, both at home and at work and categorize each activity using the following matrix:



Many people who know and love us tell us how happy they are that we are "living our dream." What they actually seeing, though is two people that are trying to focus more time on activities that are both purposeful and joyful. Our lives are not perfect but our goal is to truly flourish. My hope is that some of our friends and family will make progress in 2018 along their own paths to fulfillment. 

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