What’s Right In Front of You?
Appreciating What Really Matters Most
Have you ever overlooked what you were looking for?
It seems that just about everything in the fridge eludes me … that and a drawer that has been freshly reorganized. My wife knows exactly where everything is, but my eyes can’t see what’s right in front me! I can tell you where my tools are, business files, etc., but I can’t find the spicy mustard or special spatula! Some might guess I do this to flirt with my wife. You know – the adult way of chasing who you like around on the playground. But I must admit – I struggle to see what’s right in front of me!
We are all searching for something and many times we can’t see what’s right in front of us. We keep looking in all the wrong places for fulfillment, satisfaction, and success … only to wake up and realize everything we have does not provide us everything we actually want.
A few years ago, I attended a Golf Fellowship event in NWA. The facilitator, Terry, was a brilliant leader and good man. A young 28-year-old shared his dream of becoming a CEO of a Fortune 500 one day. Terry looked at him and didn’t poke fun at the dream. He looked at the young recently married man and soon to be father and said something like, “you might not want to make the sacrifice of such a leadership role.”
Over the years, I’ve seen many leaders chase the title and realize years later the sacrifice wasn’t worth it. They were looking for something but overlooked what they had. (Side note: We also work with many C-suite leaders and executives who find healthy rhythms to love life at work and love life at home … they put the work in, but they also know how to keep priorities aligned with purpose and values).
It seems like it was a decade ago when we were setting up for one of our first Christmas Eve Services for our former church, Thrive Christian Church. It was one of those nights where we were trying to determine if we should still hold services or call it off due to “inclement weather”. You know – snow and ice in Northwest Arkansas … the land where milk and bread will fly off the shelves when the temp drops below 29 degrees.
Back to the point of the story. We were setting up for service and it was absolutely freezing out. After church we were going to head to St. Louis to keep up the family tradition of Christmas, which was exhausting. At some point in the night, I misplaced my wallet and realized it when we all got in the car. We looked for who knows how long and decided we (my wife) could survive without my wallet for a few days.
Sometimes we can’t find what we are looking for and what we are looking for is right in front of us. During this holiday season, we hope you can see what you have and if you don’t have what you want – that you can make the shifts to find it. However, make sure you are looking for what brings actual fulfillment, so you don’t have to keep looking.
This morning, I woke up before the alarm and was energized for the day. The light was shining on my wife (of almost 22 years) through the windows and above her, a picture from one of our anniversaries. When I walked out to the living room my 12-year-old was on the couch where I left him last night. We both fell asleep watching the classic Christmas movie, “Spirited” (yes, watch it and have a good afternoon). This morning was an incredible reminder about “what’s most important” in the first 10 minutes prior to my French press coffee.
Last week two of our good friends lost their parents. I was able to attend the funeral. After the service concluded, I had an urge to call my parents. I don’t typically call them every Saturday … but it just felt right. Again, sometimes we spend so much time looking and striving that we miss what and who is right in front us.
The Christmas Eve Service at Thrive that year was incredibly life-giving and energizing. I miss those amazing people. However, the rest of the week there was a constant nagging while I searched for and thought about where my wallet was.
A few days later we started preparing for Sunday and I picked up the rug to let it dry. There was my wallet: lonely, safe, and soaking wet.
We looked frantically for that wallet on Christmas Eve and walked on it countless times. Yet the truth of the matter was that I constantly overlooked what was right in front of me the entire time.
I hope my experience helps spark a thought of appreciation for your family and maybe a thought of making sure you don’t overlook your family while looking ahead to dominating Q1 in 2025.
I haven’t always managed my priorities well … not even close. This blog/article isn’t about how to get back in rhythm – that’s next week. This post is about taking a moment to find a spark of appreciation and gratitude for your family. Let’s not overlook what’s right in front of us this year.
Let’s love life @ home and love life @ work.
P.S. – Give yourself and/or your team a Christmas present to help them keep their priorities in line and be truly successful at work.
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