After my first year in college, three of my closest friends came to my parent’s house on a Sunday afternoon. We chatted for a while, then we started debating what we would do for the rest of the day.
At that point, our friendships were all about competition. We would spend hours playing basketball, ping-pong, Trivial Pursuit, billiards, and even throwing paper in a trash can.
My friend John suggested we call an audible in our routine and film a movie.
We stumbled upon the perfect setting—an abandoned building on my grandpa’s farm—and concocted the plot of a psychological thriller—the tale of a bank robber turned evil. We shot, edited, blended in the soundtrack, and pieced together the movie. It was an absolute blast. (These tasks were quite challenging back in 1991.)
That was 30+ years ago, and I can remember the details of that adventure with vivid clarity.
What are you thinking about today?
Americans tend to spend enormous amounts of energy thinking about things and money. (I’m not sure if this is true in the rest of the world.) How do we get this or that? How much money do we have? How much money do we not have?
So, let’s do a thought exercise I heard on the Mindset Mentor podcast.
Imagine that you could accumulate everything you have purchased—your first cell phone, your first car, that SONY Walkman, and all the stuff currently lying around your house or apartment.
Picture it in vivid detail.
When you acquired those items, you probably thought they were valuable and important.
But time teaches us that most of it will not last.
Here’s the crux: We may be fixated on things today, but our past stories are woven with the threads of human connection.
People fill our stories. People who have helped us. People we have helped.
So, let the stories of your past inform the stories of your future.
People provide the purpose in life and work.
So this week,
- Call someone from your past and talk about a shared experience.
- Ask a team member about an adventure in their youth.
- Write down three people who your work has directly helped.
It will remind you how important people are in your story, which will help you set your priorities for tomorrow.
Reflecting on the impact of your relationships can help you gain a clearer understanding of what truly matters.
