Living . . . . even when you are too busy

by Karen Crowe, Board President

Welcome to September. Summer is officially over, the leaves are turning, children are back in school and we are focused on fourth quarter. The end of the year is a very busy time and businesses are making plans to reach year-end goals. It is during this time that we can become overwhelmed with what is ahead of us and forget to live.

Recently I attended the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet and listened to an amazing keynote speaker, Lisa Voso. We all have heard speakers where we would rather take a nap or check our e-mail on our Blackberry but Lisa was different. I found myself really listening and noting how her thoughts apply to my life. Lisa talked about waiting for a bus and running after it as it passed by, not realizing it was the wrong bus. In business sometimes we have an idea and become so focused on the idea that we don’t see one that is better, running after it before we realize that we are never going to catch it. Our focus is so intense that it prevents us from seeing other opportunities; we forget to live and allow ourselves to trust that there may be newer and better opportunities ahead of us.

Living is the one thing that I find myself forgetting to do when life gets busy. It is more than just working, eating and sleeping. The economy has been challenging over the past year and our budgets are tight but it is now more important than ever to remember what really matters most in life: family, friends and self. How many times have you sat down at the end of the month and wondered where time went? Did you find time to have dinner with your spouse (without the kids)? Did you take time out on the weekend to play with the kids or have a family gathering? Living in our personal life is necessary to be successful in our business life too.

Last month I talked about setting goals and how you would not set out on a task without a goal in mind. I want you to set a goal to LIVE this month. I look forward to hearing your stories about how you lived this month and incorporated living into your goals for the fourth quarter.

As promised, September is a busy month for the Chamber as well. On Wednesday, September 8th we helped the Lake Wilderness Arboretum celebrate their new office with a ribbon cutting; Wednesday, September 15th is the monthly Membership Luncheon at 11:30 - come hear about emerging trends in property valuations and where your property taxes go. On Saturday, September 18th you don’t want to miss our Prime Time Business Expo in the Rock Creek Elementary School Gym and be sure to reserve October 1st at 6:00pm to come enjoy the 45th Annual President’s Dinner and Auction “Toasting Success”. This will be a great time to celebrate our successes, share your stories, talk with friends and start living!

I hope you have a wonderful September and look forward to seeing you at our events throughout the month.

Karen Crowe

Added on 09/10/2010

No comments have been added yet to this post.

Post a comment - top

Please register to leave a comment.