Perhaps time is the limited asset we unwittingly fritter away in life. Kids are young once. And our elders are around for only so long in our lives to pass on their wisdom to us. And a side effect of having time is that life is a “mixed bag.” Along with life’s blessings comes having “challenges” and “problems” to solve. And with these challenges come pain and fear. If we are not careful our life experience becomes one of loss, “missing out,” and getting “passed over.” Just being alive on this spinning blue planet we call Earth is something that becomes easy to take for granted. The priceless moments with our kids and loved ones sometimes get pushed aside.

No matter where we physically are in life – if we start the day by recognizing the incredible fortune it is just to be alive and the tremendous gift that life is – we can frame everything else (success and failure) appropriately and in context. The fact that we are here in the first place as well as how many days we get on Earth are not our choice. But if we remember that we have been “gifted” this lease on life we can begin to truly be in the present moment. We can fully appreciate having “challenges” and focus on being with our kids, loved ones and friends. It is from this vantage point that we can not only do our very best work – but we can truly savor life as it should be.

I had the good fortune to spend the last two weeks in Hawaii on the island of Maui. It’s easy to experience the gift of life in paradise. But one take away I have from my trip is to put life ambitions, endeavors and challenges in perspective. They are ALL a gift to be enjoyed now – while en-route to the better version of yourself on your way towards success – not just on arrival. You can’t buy more time – no matter what your financial condition.