“At the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.” -Italian Proverb.
We’ve probably all heard this quote and thought that we knew what it meant. We probably thought that even though we were on opposing sides during the game, in the end, we all went home together as friends. But actually, it’s much further-reaching; what it means is that we all go to the same place eventually, no matter who we are, who we were, or what we owned.
For me, I look at that as a lesson in life, and I still strive for successes and advancements in my business. But, still, I make sure that in each case, those can be in effect mapped to the milestones I want to reach not on a project dashboard or my companies accounts, but to the ones I want to achieve in life and living.
Our businesses are much more than just our means to earn a living. They are, in essence, an extension of ourselves. They are like our children in that we nurture them, and teach them and help them grow. But, authentically, they take on a life and purpose of their own, and we feel a particular parental pride as we see that growth and enjoy their successes.
But ultimately, in the end, we all go to the same place, and everything we’ve built doesn’t mean anything to us in that new existence. At that point, it’s how we lived.
The Greeks didn’t write obituaries. They didn’t list or praise the achievements of the dead. They only asked one question: “Did they have passion?” referring to the passion in their life, how they lived.
Our businesses and aspirations aside, do what you are doing right now evoke a sense of passion in you? Will you be able to honestly say after you have gone that what you were doing in this life was passionate and worthy of you?
If not, maybe it is time to change your values in your creation process. You’re only here once, so make it count, always.
