You're the pride of your parents.
And the envy of your classmates.
Your road to success has been paved with academic honors, business savvy, or both.
On the money and professional fronts, you give yourself an unqualified A+.
But how do you grade on life?
Are you on a treadmill but do not recognize it as such?
Though it is encrusted with baubles from Tiffany, traveling First, the promise of making partner, or hefty bonuses, is it just a treadmill?
If the weekend can't come soon enough, and you experience stress rather than joy being on it, yes it is a treadmill.
If it's making you drink more, eat unhealthily, exercise less and feel exhausted, yes it is a treadmill.
Is Peace of Mind & Joy a more worthwhile goal than acquisitions or professional badges of honor, however coveted?
Is a trade-off due between a little less wealth and power and more health and sanity?
Are you in a two-income trap?
Just because both of you earn, does it mean both of you will always have to earn?
If your bills are higher than one income can meet, then yes, you are in a two-income trap.
What if you lived on one income and banked the other?
Wouldn't it be wonderful for either of you to take a time-out for whatever reason, when needed?
Are you and your partner so entrenched in the rat-race that having to "attend to the child" gets your wires crossed?
If you're not able to attend your sick child, go to her games and performances, interact with her meaningfully when you get home, then yes.....you are totally entrenched in the rat-race.
Are cars, houses, vacations, or professional and entrepreneurial brownie points more valuable to you than your involvement in your child's life?
Does it make sense to downshift and put your child first? You will never get the time with your child back.
Is your relationship with your family and friends threatened as a result of your professional life?
If you find it more and more difficult to make time for them, and all your waking thoughts and energy are on your professional life, then yes, your bonds with your family and friends are eroding and in danger of being compromised.
When you think about the fact that they know you best and will always be there for you...is it worth losing that for the temporary thrills of your professional life?
Would it be better to course correct and make up for lost ground and time?
Are you either locked on a meaningless financial target, or trapped by the fear of being useless and putting off living life as a result of it?
If you have picked an arbitrary net-worth number, or are terrified by the idea of waking up and having nothing significant to do, then yes.
You are allowing yourself to be a prisoner of habit and whim, while your precious life drips away, drop by drop.
Does it make sense to stop counting the zeroes and to let go of your self-concept, letting new interests emerge organically, while you still have your health and faculties?
So how did you do on your Life Grades?
Not where you want to be?
Don't worry. You can use the same determination that made you a professional success to get yourself to an "A".
Candid Postscript......the ideas in the post were stimulated by a conversation I had a few days ago with a very admirable gal who, to my mind, leads quite a balanced life. I was surprised to hear her say she thinks she may have flunked retirement because she went back to work after officially retiring. She encouraged me to write this post.
What do you think? What are the other ways people can flunk life and what can they do? I would be very interested in your feedback.
Click on comments at the end of this post to submit your valued thoughts about this.
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