“Life is so short.” How often do we hear that comment and treat it as a throw away line? Well this week, the comment came home to roost yet again, with the news that a great man in our local community passed away unexpectedly early in the week. He was a highly respected member of the community, actively involved in community activities, including the local junior football club, where he was a certified sports trainer, as well as the chief sponsorship manager. Leaving behind a loving wife and 2 wonderful children, it prompted me to yet again reflect and contemplate that life really is short, and that you actually do not know how much longer you have before the last grain of sand passes through the hourglass. And as I reflected, I was reminded of the wonderful poem written nearly 20 years ago by Linda Ellis, called “The Dash”, a poem that really challenges you to focus on the dash between birth and death, to identify and fulfil your purpose for being alive, and to make your life count.

It got me really thinking, am I living my life the way that I intended, or am I just cruising? Let me ask you the same question – are you living your life the way you intended, or are you simply making up the numbers? It is a very sobering question, and one that is very easy to gloss over and either ignore, or deflect, particularly if we are really ‘busy’. Well the fact is, we only have one life, and that life can be snuffed out so quickly, that life can be over before we start living it. It reminds me of the extensive research conducted in Aged Care facilities where people coming to the end of their lives are asked about their life philosophies and their perspectives on living a great life, including any regrets they have. Overwhelmingly, the feedback from the elderly generation is that they would take more risks, have more fun, seek out more opportunities, and not worry about what other people think! Very wise and sobering feedback for those of us who still have sand remaining in the hourglass!

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A couple of weeks ago I was enjoying a coffee with a good friend of mine. His daughter is a professional sportswoman, who since turning professional has been experiencing some challenges with her game and has been a little disappointed with her performances. As an amateur, she was highly ranked in her field of expertise, however, since turning professional, the ranking has dropped somewhat and her performances have been less consistent. This got me thinking about other professional sportspeople in the world, along with successful business people and successful actors, and how these people were able to make the transition from ‘amateur’ status, to professional, and continue to perform at a high level, and in many cases, lift their performance to world class level. What made the difference? These people were operating in a very highly specialised field of endeavour, they each possessed immense talent, and yet, some managed to achieve a level of sustained success that others only dream of. Whilst many focussed on execution of technique, of ‘doing the do’, of being an outstanding technician, others recognised that execution of technique is not enough – knowing why they are executing the technique is the difference that makes the difference. And so this lead me to contemplate why clearly identifying the why is so important in any endeavour, and how the why can be the difference between being an average performer in any field, and a world class performer.

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