At the end of a lunchtime presentation on Authentic Leadership, the speaker gave us something to think about. He said, "think of yourself on your deathbed when you're 98 years old and what you would say to yourself at this time in your life." Hmm...that really got me thinking.
This question comes at a time when I am contemplating making a change in my life as well as the life of my family - so it's exactly the kind of thing I have been thinking about for quite some time. I've spent the past 6 months or so thinking about how I want to live my life. In fact this topic of conversation seems to surround me with my friends and colleagues almost everytime I come into contact with them. I don't know if this kind of thinking happens in your mid-thirties or if we're just saturated with this kind of talk in North America. Whatever it is, I think this is the first time where I've really thought about what I want to do with my life based on my own values, not on what society or people in my life expect of me. It's exciting and scary at the same time but I have someone else to think about and that's my almost 3 year old son.
So I think my 98-year old self would tell my 36-year old self to take risks, raise a son to be an ethical and caring man who is proud of his cultural heritage, do what you're passionate about, and make a difference in people's lives.
This is exactly the journey I'm on right now and can't wait to start this next chapter in my life.
Stay tuned....
