Is it possible to gain the whole world and still lose?
John DeButts was the CEO of AT&T just prior to its breakup in the 1980’s. At the zenith of his power, he had more than 1,000,000 employees around the world. DeButts retired as a very wealthy man. Not long after that, he needed to have a leg amputated.
He later said, “In spite of all that money, power, prestige and influence, do you know that as I lay there in my hospital bed, not one person came to see me, called me on the phone, or dropped me a card? But, there at my bedside, tending to my needs day-by-day, was the woman I had ignored for 30 years.”
Fascinating. If you’re anything like me, we work and work to try and get as much as we can, all the while thinking in the end we will have made a difference… when, at the end, in utter irony, we look around and are troubled by the destruction we have left all around us.
You see, I’m learning from wise people who have told me the process of life (which is actually life, by the way) is what’s most important. It’s the relationships and interaction we have with our kids, spouse, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that matter now as well as the development of our own character along the way. That way, at least, we won’t be working for something that eludes us (i.e. success), but cultivating the things right in front of us.
It’s easy to ignore the people closest to you. It’s much more difficult to consistently engage the people you love the most!
via All Pro Dad
