The Two Most Important People That You Are Doing Everything For
If you were to ask most successful people who they were working so hard for, they would probably answer that they were working for their families, their parents, their legacy, their employees, their reputation, the greater good or maybe even themselves and the money they make. After all, successful people are very often hard chargers who demand the best from themselves and those around them to achieve their goals for the benefit of all those groups and their own advancement.
From that standpoint, their answers are logical and even noble, particularly If they say that they are doing it for the greater good or the benefit of others. However, this can get tiring and often these reasons are not enough and burnout ensues. Working hard all the time for a reason is very important but taking a step back and digging deep is often an effective way to get perspective and re-energize ourselves.
One of the easiest ways to dig deep into our minds and go back to a basic reason for our “why” is to thing about the two most important people we are actually working for.
These people are our 8-year-old self and our 80-year-old self.
The reasons are so basic and that is why they are so effective. We are working for our 8-year-old self because when we think back to that time, we had unlimited physical, emotional and imaginative energy. When we were 8 years old, we were able to do almost anything, feel anything and become anything. For most people, it was a time when anything was possible, and we had limitless dreams and goals. Thinking back to that time can free our minds to consider greater possibilities without the restraints of the “real world” of adulthood holding us down. This can be a great way to re-evaluate our lives, our choices and why we do what we do without thinking of practicality, only of the possibilities.
We are also working for our 80-year-old self because of regret. One of the saddest things to see is when an elderly person at the end of their life has regrets. Regrets about things they did not do or see, people they did not spend more time with, places they did not go, etc. When asked, very few elderly people regret not working more hours in the office at their job, but they do regret these other things. This is very sad because they realise that their time is now so limited and they will not be able to change their situation. It is often too late.
When we think about ourselves at 80 years old, and the possibility of regretting any of those things, we have a very different perspective on life. All of the sudden, little irritants lose their hold on us. We see the bigger picture and are able to concentrate on the things that really matter to us today and in the future when we have lived many years. Coming to this realisation is just as freeing as adopting the mindset our 8-year-old selves.
It gives us a clearer picture of how we want our lives to be, both at the beginning of it, when we were so positive and free and at the end of it, when we would like to look back and be happy with our choices and how we lived.