Letters to my 22 year-old self - Part XXV - "Your Life Is Happening Now—Maximize the Moments That Matter!"

‘Life is what happens when your busy making other plans’ – John Lennon

Dear Shawn,

This is the last letter I’ll pen to you, and it carries the weight of all the ones before it. Throughout these letters, we’ve delved into success, fulfillment, patience, courage, and relationships. We’ve also delved into personal failure and growth and the constant balance of pressure that makes us human.

Today, I want to focus on something even more enduring: the memories you’ll create—not just for yourself but for those who matter most.

Your life is a memory book, and each day, you’re writing its pages. These pages will be filled with laughter, challenges, connections; an emotional connection to life itself. But here’s the thing: the best stories in that book won’t write themselves. They’ll come from the attitude you bring and how you choose to show up.

As you read this blog and re-read this series I will ask you to ponder one question:

Are you building a memory book —not just for you, but for those who share it with you?

As you ponder this question let me take a moment and reflect on some of the key lessons you have learned over the last 25 years from those closest to you and reflect on how it has shaped your life.

1. Gratitude: The Foundation of Lasting Memories

In Part IV – “Navigating the ups and downs of a career in sales”, we explored the transformative power of gratitude—sometimes as simple as exhaling and thinking to yourself “wow – this is a great moment – Boy am I lucky”. Gratitude allows you to acknowledge meaning in the ordinary, and capture fleeting ordinary moments and turning them into cherished memories.

The late-night preparations for a big meeting with colleagues all focused on getting the job done
The first day of a new job walking into a room where you knew no one and had no idea of what lay ahead
The excitement of waiting to take the stage and inspire your colleagues
Watching the fire crackling over inspiring conversation
The awe of watching your children take their first drop into waist deep powder

Gratitude reminds you that every moment is exactly that, a moment. It nudges you to slow down, notice the good, and hold tight to the moments where you feel alive.

Reflection:

When was the last time you took a moment and acknowledged one of those moments? Who were you with and what were you doing?

2. Resilience: Where Stories Worth Telling Are Born

In Part X – “Attacked from Within”, we discussed how some of these moments will emerge in the toughest of times — moments when life veered off course, you didn’t feel your best and you weren’t sure what the future would hold.

The fact is that memories you’ll cherish are not just celebrations but often from tumultuous times of uncertainty. Whether it is a career setback that taught you resilience, the sudden death of a close family member or a personal challenge that forced you to think beyond today. These moments will shape you and influence how others see you.

Your family will remember how you leaned on them to rose again, how you pushed through adversity, and how you turned hardship into strength. You will also learn who your true allies are. These are the stories that inspire.

Challenge:

Recall a difficult moment that, in hindsight, became a story you’re proud of. How can that resilience help you face today’s challenges?

3. Legacy Is Built in Everyday Moments

There was a time when I believed legacy was only about titles, accolades and achievements. But as we uncovered in Part XII – “The Time Machine is Broken”, legacy isn’t found in titles or awards—it’s in the small, consistent choices you make every day in the moment.

Coaching your kids amateur sports and balancing being “dad” and “coach”
Mentoring new members of the team being their “secure base”
Waking up early to feel the crunch of last nights snowfall
Sharing a drink around the fire with a long-time friend

Your family and colleagues won’t remember every milestone, but those closest to you will remember how you made them feel—valued, loved, and seen. They’ll also remember how you challenged them to be better and expected nothing less from yourself.

Ask Yourself:

What small memory can you create today that will last for years to come? How do you turn an ordinary event into something extraordinary?

4. Stay focused on the long-term

In Part V – “Don’t Eat the Marshmallow” , we explored patience, but there’s an important distinction: patience doesn’t mean saying no to every opportunity and postponing every key opportunities. It means ignoring day-to-day distractions and staying focused on your long-term vision focusing your time and effort that bring you closer to it.

Resisting temptation to jump at every opportunity just because it presents itself
Having clarity of vision in where you are headed 2, 5 and even 10 years out
Connecting the day-to-day with your longer term plans and blocking out activities that don’t align

Your career journey will NOT be a straight line “up and to the right” – It will be a jagged journey with many stops along the way. Focus on the long-term.

Challenge:

What are your personal and professional goals over the next 2, 5, 10 years? Are you spending your time on what will take you there? What are your distractions and how can you eliminate them?

5. Work Is About Impact, Not Just Achievement

In Part VII – “Anchor your career with your towering strengths”, we talked about anchoring your career with the skills and attributes that truly differentiate you and I mean things you do better than 95% of the population. Focus on building your career by leveraging these towering strengths and focusing on roles and opportunities where these skills make up the majority of the job.

We all have weaknesses and aspects of the role that we can further develop but it is your towering strengths that will connect performance, passion and upward mobility.

Challenge:

What are your towering strengths? Are they an important factor in your success today? How often to get to leverage them in your current role?

6. The Next 20 Years: Building a Memory Book

Looking ahead, the next two decades won’t be about proving yourself; they’ll be about defining your impact, executing against your vision for the future and helping those around you to be the best version of themselves.

At Work: Push yourself and demand more of yourself than you do from others. Take the time to learn from others gaining insights and feedback even when it comes across as harsh. Write down how you are feeling at key moments and reflect on them; decide on how you are going to integrate these learnings into your day to day.
In Life: Prioritize time with those you love but more importantly find a mutual connection and passion and experience it together. Trust those closest to you to deliver against their commitments, be generous with any wealth you achieve but be selfish with your time.
In Growth: Be the person your family admires—not for your achievements, but for somehow managing to balance your career, your passions and your duty as a father, a husband and a leader in your industry.

The road ahead will have its challenges, but the memories you create will make every step worthwhile.

Final Thought: Make Your Story Worth Telling

In the future, ehen you look back at your memory book, it won’t just be your achievements that stand out. It will be the experiences, the stories and the people that were part of it.

Make it a story worth telling!

If you enjoyed this write-up here are direct links to the rest of the series.

Part I – “Keep an eye on the gas gauge”

Part II – “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Part III – “What’s the ONE THING”

Part IV – “Navigating the ups and downs of a career in sales”

Part V – “Don’t eat the marshmallow”

Part VI – “Not every mountain is Mt. Everest!”

Part VII – “Anchor your career with your towering strengths”

Part VIII – Do you choose the red pill or the green pill?

Part IX – “Managing your Monkeys”

Part X – “Attacked from Within”