In a university commencement address many years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relationship of work to the other life commitments:
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you are keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
How is this achieved?
Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others. It is because we are different and that each of us is special. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem to be important. Only you know what is best for you, and whatever decision you make, you will have to live with them.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life; for without them, life is meaningless.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past, or too far in the future. By living your life one day at a time, you will live ALL the days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying that it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily. But be willing to share this gift to benefit others.
Don’t use your time and words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way. Yesterday is History; Tomorrow is a Mystery; and Today is a gift: that is why we call it – The Present.