30 Days to Live
Posted by Kurt Ehlert at 4/27/2008 4:08 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
Suppose you only had 30 days to live - how would you act? What would you do differently?
The leaders at my church have been reading a book called "One Month to Live" by Kerry and Chris Shook that asks that very question. Each day is a short chapter addressing a specific issue one might want to address in the little time you have left.
Our pastor, Jon McClarnon, started to address this issue as well today, and will continue to do so for the next few weeks. He showed a video of a young women with metastatic breast cancer who really does know she has only a bit of time to live. Seeing her viewpoint was pretty powerful stuff.
As for me, though, the first chapter in our book asks a simple question - Without thinking too hard, what are five things you would do today if you knew you only had 30 days to live? The first two on my mind and on my notebook were 1) Quit working and, 2) Sell the gym.
I think a lot of people would want to quit work immediately - almost a no-brainer. Selling the business is a bit more difficult. I wouldn't want my wife to have to deal with a start-up business she has no real knowledge of nor passion for. That's the main reason. I wouldn't want her to deal with the financial problems as well, given the others she would have. But I wouldn't want the worries for the little time I have left either.
The natural follow up - why not act that way now? This is asked several times in the book and by Pastor Jon today about various actions you might take with only 30 days to live yet don't do now - speaking to those who've hurt you, improving your relationship with God, family, friends among others. In this case, why not sell the gym now? What's different? I guess I presume I'm going to continue to live and make it a success but that certainly isn't assured. We are only given today, after all. A job is different - the business can continue without me. My business isn't like that.
This book and the discussions we have every Thursday morning about it make me think about the role of the gym in my life - how important is it, how important should it be, etc. It changes the entrepreneurial vision, that's for sure!
The leaders at my church have been reading a book called "One Month to Live" by Kerry and Chris Shook that asks that very question. Each day is a short chapter addressing a specific issue one might want to address in the little time you have left.
Our pastor, Jon McClarnon, started to address this issue as well today, and will continue to do so for the next few weeks. He showed a video of a young women with metastatic breast cancer who really does know she has only a bit of time to live. Seeing her viewpoint was pretty powerful stuff.
As for me, though, the first chapter in our book asks a simple question - Without thinking too hard, what are five things you would do today if you knew you only had 30 days to live? The first two on my mind and on my notebook were 1) Quit working and, 2) Sell the gym.
I think a lot of people would want to quit work immediately - almost a no-brainer. Selling the business is a bit more difficult. I wouldn't want my wife to have to deal with a start-up business she has no real knowledge of nor passion for. That's the main reason. I wouldn't want her to deal with the financial problems as well, given the others she would have. But I wouldn't want the worries for the little time I have left either.
The natural follow up - why not act that way now? This is asked several times in the book and by Pastor Jon today about various actions you might take with only 30 days to live yet don't do now - speaking to those who've hurt you, improving your relationship with God, family, friends among others. In this case, why not sell the gym now? What's different? I guess I presume I'm going to continue to live and make it a success but that certainly isn't assured. We are only given today, after all. A job is different - the business can continue without me. My business isn't like that.
This book and the discussions we have every Thursday morning about it make me think about the role of the gym in my life - how important is it, how important should it be, etc. It changes the entrepreneurial vision, that's for sure!
First off I recommend not selling the business! Secondly I would have to agree to some extend that if I knew I only had 30 days to live that I would become pretty selfish I would do what I always wanted to do and let the rest fall where it may. If I had 30 days to live, I'd take the money I have and give it to my family. I could waste it on worthless materialistic things but it wouldn't be there when I'm gone. People die everyday without warning. I'm just happy for the blessing of my life thus far, the gift of life today. I put my heart into everything I do and I'm happy. I'm just one tiny speck in time, remembering that keeps me humble.
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