What Counts?

I am on my way today to a funeral of a close friend. Once again I am face to face with the frailty of life and the importance of the relationships around you.  Mark Miller, who writes a blog on leadership recently wrote something along these lines; Make sure you live your life for those who will be sitting in the front row at your funeral. Now that is a healthy reminder, and something that we can easily forget. Who are the important ones in our lives and what really counts as importance?

In a world as demanding as the one we live in, it is easy to lose track of what matters most. Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts! Very insightful words for sure.

We count almost everything in this culture; the number of friends, likes, hits, clicks, bounces, dollars spent, dollars lost, money made, progress gained, market share given up, size, weight, growth, shrinkage, increase, decrease, even the amount of minutes it takes for my food to be handed to me at a fast food restaurant. But how much of all we count really counts. The answer to that question is relative to the ones discussing it.

Here are three things that really count, in my estimation.

• You! You have been born for a purpose and the most important thing you can do is to fulfill that purpose.
• Your family! If you were not here tomorrow, your family would feel the greatest loss.
• Your future in eternity! While this life here is wonderful, it is but a sliver of time compared to eternity.

There are many other things that really count, but I think these three rocket to the top! Make sure you count what matters most and by all means, keep track of the rest! Just keep it all in proper perspective.

D.O.V.E.