An associate called me the other day and remarked about our sudden loss of Larry, and how that was “a real ‘wake-up call’.”
Yes. It was. For those who were asleep and who somehow took the time and effort to notice, and wake up, and get out of bed.
Wake up calls…
Sometimes they are shouts, like the exploding din of the shout we heard three weeks ago today.
Sometimes wake up calls are whispered.
Like a near-miss accident; the promotion that went to your rival; the loss of a friendship; another silent and sullen evening with a once-loving spouse…
…a slammed door.
Did my associate really hear the call? Or did he mumble a weak thank-you into the receiver, hang up, roll over, and go back to sleep?
Shouts and whispers.
Do we hear?
Do we heed?
What would life be like tomorrow if we knew we had only a few months left?
How do we know we don’t?
What if there were no snooze button in life?
What would YOU do tomorrow?
Friday, June 12, 2009…
BUILT TO LEAD 
This news was a wake up call for me too. I’ve already started changing things. It’s made me look at my life, wife, and kids differently. I turn 40 next month and have had serious heart problems in the past. It’s time to get my act together. I didn’t know Larry very well and we spoke only through email but he has had an impact on my life, unfortunately not until his passing. This reminds me that no matter what, we are not in control. As much as we want to be in complete control, we truly have no control. I guess we should be grateful for that since we mess everything up and God is much more capable of control than any of us.
Mike, thanks for the GREAT comment and thoughts about waking up! It is true; we are not in control. AND the one thing we can do is find the purpose He has for our lives and the LIVE it–out of our control–yet with confidence that it is the only path for us. As you know, we at BUILT TO LEAD believe that doing this leads to a GREAT life, not just some garden variety retread version of someone else’s plans for our lives.The so-called “Good Life” without the Builder’s Journey along the path of our purpose isn’t so good, because there’s SO MUCH MORE!
I agree with you that “control” is overrated. It’s only the illusion of control anyway. Why waste time trying to gain control over an illusion? Keep building, dude.