Why Your Personal Life Matters More Than Business
This is a bit off topic from my usual posts, but it seems to hit on business (and life) more broadly so here it goes: your personal life matters. It matters more than whatever you do in business. Some of the recent celebrity deaths got me thinking about this.
Just Saturday former NFL quarterback, Steve McNair, was killed here in Nashville. The details are still coming out, but the reports indicate he was with his girlfriend when he was shot, and she’s dead too. McNair was married with four children.
McNair was an absolute stud on the football field. He’s revered as one of the guys who played through pain and injury for the team. He was the kind of guy you wanted on your team. He was well regarded in the community too. People liked him on the field and off the field. He was great at all of his business, but in the end, his personal life led to his death.
Michael Jackson died a week ago. We don’t know everything that happened on Jackson’s final day, but it seems he had medical professionals around him who would provide him with powerful sedatives when he requested it and that appears to have been the cause of death. Jackson was known to have an addiction to pain killers in the past.
Jackson was an absolute wonder for music, videos, and live performances. He holds music industry records that may never be broken and is widely credited as being a major influence on many artists, musicians, and performers today. He was great at his business, but in the end, his personal life led to his death.
It’s easy to find people saying great things about McNair and Jackson’s professional lives. We’re not, however, hearing too many people talking so positively about their personal lives, and I can’t help but want to use this opportunity to evaluate my own personal life. Maybe you should as well. After all, we could be great at whatever we do professionally, but our personal life might not be so personal someday. Even worse, it could cut our lives shorter than they should be.
I’m convinced my personal life matters much more than business because, in the end, it’s more important than anything I may do professionally. I just don’t want to waste my life.
Tags: Don't Waste Your Life, Michael Jackson, personal life, professional life, Steve McNair
July 6th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Bill,
I appreciate your comments. It’s really a matter of character isn’t it?
I don’t want to be too judgmental of these two men because they encountered temptations I know not of. But the bottom line is our personal decisions, whether in secret or out in the open, do matter and affect us at a soul level.
Jeff
July 6th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Thanks Jeff. I agree wholeheartedly. Our personal decisions matter very much at a soul level.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Well said my friend, well said!
July 7th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Bill — you have been very gentle with this issue. I think we confuse fame with greatness. Lots of people are “celebrities” but not what we will remember as great. And the two cases you mention are glaring examples of tragic, misdirected personal lives.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Thanks Scott.
Dan, well said. Fame and greatness are two very different things.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Your post is spot on, Bill. Character always wins out. One of the saddest examples to me is Bill Clinton. He was President of the United States, but you can’t think about him without thinking “sex scandal.” No matter what great things he did or does, that’s always hanging around in the background.
Thanks for reminding us of the importance of a life truly lived.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I love Piper’s book - such a powerful read!
I’ve been struggling with the same thoughts in regards to McNair & Jackson. It reaffirms my passion for teaching young people about character and purpose!
July 7th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Thanks Jennifer. Another good example. His state funeral someday will be an interesting discussion in the media.
Ann, keep up the good work!
July 9th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Hi, Bill, I couldn’t agree more. With all the adulation, there seems to be a sense of amnesia about a famous person’s personal life. And that is where so much tragedy is. I am reminded not only of the book you mentioned, but also Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, Integrity (http://store.cloudtownsendstore.com/integrity1.html). The description echoes what you said: “Drawing on experiences from his work with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and individual leaders, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be.”
July 9th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Thanks Tina. Good quote from Dr. Cloud.