I want you to imagine that you're 95 years old, ninety five.
You're just getting ready to die. Right before you take that last breath
you’re given a wonderful gift, a beautiful gift,
the ability to go back in time. The ability to go back in time and
talk to the person listening to me right now, the ability to help that person be a better
leader, a better professional. Much more important,
the ability to help that person have a better life.
What advice would that wise 95 year old you who knows what really mattered
in life and what did not matter and what was important and what was not important,
what advice would that wise old person have for the you that’s listening to me right now?
You don't need to say anything or do anything or write anything,
just answer that question in your mind. What advice would that old person have for you?
Whatever you're thinking now, do that.
In terms of a performance appraisal that's the only one that's going to matter.
If that old person says you did the right thing,
you did the right thing. If that old person says you made a mistake,
you made a mistake, you don't need to impress anyone else.
Some friends of mine interviewed all folks who are dying
and got to ask them this question, what advice would you have had?
Three themes came up as the answer from old people facing death on the personal side.
Thing number one can be summarized in three words. Be happy now.
Not next week, not next month, not next year. The great western disease is sweeping the world,
what is that great western disease? I'll be happy when,
when I have the money, the status, the BMW, the condominium,
I will be happy when… We all have the same when.
That 95 year old person facing death, that is when.
Learning point from old people, I got so busy
chasing what I did not have I could not see what I did have
when I had everything. My guess is you're one of
the luckiest people that ever lived, you probably have friends, family,
interesting work, relative to me you probably have youth,
you have it all. Don't get so wrapped
up looking at what you don't have, you can't see what you do have.
I’ve asked thousands of parents around the world, I say, “complete this sentence with one word”.
“When my child grows up, I want my child to be...” One word comes up in the answers from parents,
one word more than every other word combined, no matter what country I'm in.
What's that one word? Happy.
Want your kids to be happy? Want your parents to be happy?
Want the people who love you to be happy? Want the people who respect your work to be happy?
You go first, you be happy.
Learning two from old people facing death on the personal side, friends and family.
You probably work for a great company, I'm going to help you,
when you're ninety five years old and you're on your deathbed
and none of your employees are waving goodbye, you start to realize, you know,
these friends and family, they're kind of important,
they're the only ones that seem to matter a whole lot today.
And learning point number three, if you have a dream, go for it.
Because if you don't go for it when you're 45, you may not
when you're 55, you probably will not when you're 85 and
it doesn’t have to be a big dream, maybe a little dream.
Go to New Zealand or speak Spanish or play a guitar.
Other people think your dream is goofy, who cares?
It's not their dream, it's your dream. It's not their life, it's your life.
Businesswise isn’t much different. Number one, have fun, life is short.
Life is short. Number two is do whatever you can to help people.
The main reason to help people has nothing to do with money
or status or getting ahead. The main reason to help people is much deeper.
The 95 year old you will be very proud of you
because you didn't disappointed. And if you do not believe this is
true, you interview any CEOs who have retired,
I’ve interviewed a whole bunch of them and asked them a question.
Please tell me, what are you proud of? So far, no one told me how big their office was,
all they ever talked about was some people they helped.
Final advice is also the same, go for it. Your industry is changing, your world's changing,
you do what you think is right. You may not win,
at least try. Old people,
we almost never regret the risks we took and fail, we always regret the risk we did not take.