20 Hours to 35! Time Out!!!

I am excited, exhausted, but not expired; cos' at 4 am now, I am sipping my heavily-dosed coffee in front of my lap-top screen and CNBC updates! Let me continue . . .

In life, as in sports, I know it is important to finish well. Starting well is important though, but ending well is essential! And if you are a Singaporean, you already have a head-start. So don't complain!!!

Though I'm not particularly fond of soccer, allow me my little locker-room pep talk here as I draw near the 45th minute of the game (of life). I wonder, how did my score measures up? What are my stats? How many good passess, tackles, blocks and goals? I concluded that all these eventually might not be as important as I thought.

Truth is: What good are great stats in my first half if I come up short at the end of my second half? Do I now have the right game plan for life?

Searching honestly within this private chambers of my heart, I acknowledged that I am making a transition from focusing on success to focusing on significance. My frantic pursuit for success in my first half had left me panting, and I can almost feel the breathlessness at my mid-race. But I can also feel the desire to gather speed for the next half.

I want to make my second half more meaningful, more effective as a marketplace catalyst. I want to shake my habit of thinking and change the habits of living and loving. I want to continue to dream great dreams, and plan great plans. I want to make a difference in the lives of those whom I love. I want to make my time and talent counts in the eyes of those who know me.

I want to connect (or actually re-connect) passion with purpose, success with significance, crowds with community, coviction with commitment. I want to develop vehicles for my vision, and find wings for my them. Yes, I wanted passion-driven vision, straight from the heart. As Bruce Brookshire said,

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, but are felt in the heart".

It is not that success is no longer important to me. It still is. However, being "successful" is not an adequate epitaph I seek. It begs the question: "What do I want to be remembered for when I die"? What will be written on my tombstone? The answer to these questions will lead me a step closer to the pursuit of significance. The end of the pursuit will leave a legacy. As Saint Augustine said,

"Asking yourself the question of your own legacy - What do I wish to be remembered for? - is the beginning of adulthood".

I guess I'll have to stop here and start pondering. Too much writing burdens the mind. I will enjoy this day as a simple yet profound gift. Life, afterall, is simply profound and profoundly simple. I will leave with this poem I kept over the years:

Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours,
Don't remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows
Count your life by smiles, not tears.
And with joy on every birthday,
Count your age by friends, not years.

Let's make it count! Happy Birthday to me :)