Dear Craig ... My Response to My Last Post

My last post consisted of my thoughts about career and what I really want to do with my life.  As I've thought about that more and more, it has led me to further pondering about life and what matters, and I now share with you my own response to my last post.

Google image search results: Dad is #1.  I'm #63.  Thanks mormon.org

Dear Craig,

I agree with what you wrote, but perhaps you wrote it without taking the time to fully explore the subject at hand. Fortunately, you have a dad who is very smart (and also quite famous - google "Swindlehurst" and see who comes up first) and who presented a different viewpoint.  His perspective was this: "instead of wandering around 'finding what you love,' learn how to love what you find."  I think he makes a good point, and what I believe falls somewhere in between what he wrote and what you wrote. There are certain things you might never develop a passion for, no matter how long you do them.  At the same time, your love for something will develop as you do it. So there's a balance between seeking out your passion and learning to love whatever you decide to do.

Anyway, that's not what I want to talk about, but doesn't it make you think? Perhaps your focus hasn't been where it should be.  Here's the thing: you'll eventually find the right career, whether it's accounting or not.  You'll learn to love it and you'll be fine.  There's no need to devote an excessive amount of time worrying about that. In the eternal scheme of things, what your career ends up being is about as important as who wins the next season of the Bachelor.  In other words, kind of important, but not eternally important.  Here's some food for thought from Malcom Muggeridge:

"Now the prospect of death overshadows all others.  I am like a man on a sea voyage nearing his destination.  When I embarked I worried about having a cabin with a porthole, and whether I should be asked to sit at the captain's table, who were the more attractive and important passengers.  All such considerations become pointless, because now I shall soon be disembarking."     

During this voyage through life, you may begin to believe that certain things matter; things like the amount of money you earn, the accolades you receive, or yes, even what you do for a living.  But the reality is that none of those things mean anything in the long run.  One day you will die, and all those considerations will become, as Malcom Muggeridge says, pointless.

You shared this video on your blog before, but perhaps you didn't internalize the message, so I think it's worth sharing again.  Remember Ric Elias, who was on Flight 1549 that crash-landed into the Hudson River in New York in 2009?  He literally thought he was going to die, and faced with death, came to realize what was really important.  

If you don't want to spend five minutes watching the video, perhaps this scripture can give you an idea of what is significant.  It's in James 1:27:

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

You've read this scripture many times before, but hopefully this time it will stand out to you.  When you read it, doesn't it scream at you that NOTHING else matters in life except serving others and being kind to them?  That thought seems so absolute, but it's true.  That's what pure religion is.  That is what God would have you do, and that is how He would have you worship Him.  He wants you to love, serve, help, and be kind to His children.  Can you think of a single thing with real import that doesn't have to do with that?  I didn't think so. That's the whole reason you're here.  Alexander Pine said: "What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."  So go ahead, go to the gym one more time so you can beat your girlfriend's little brother in an arm wrestle.  Go running to cut a minute off your marathon pace.  Study more to score five percent higher on that exam.  Work longer to make a thousand more dollars.  Or ten thousand.  Or a hundred thousand.  All of that will die with you.  But the kindness you show others, and the service you render can and will never fade.  It will last through the eternities.  I'm not saying you shouldn't do any of those things.  They're great things.  You shouldn't feel ashamed when you do take the time to do them, or when you take the time to worry about your future career.  I'm just saying that they shouldn't come at the expense of those around you, and that perhaps you should shift your focus in life outward, to other people.  You've read some G. K. Chesterton recently, haven't you?  He said this:

"How much larger your life would be if you could become smaller in it ... you would begin to be interested in others.  You would break out of this tiny ... theater in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street  full of splendid strangers."

To close, I'll share a great quote from one of your favorite books: Quiet Strength. It's the autobiography of Tony Dungy, former head coach in the NFL (who now has numerous books and his own website).  He was a very successful coach, winning the Super Bowl in 2006.  But despite all of his worldly success, he stayed grounded in what mattered most and was a great example of living a Christian life.  In his book, he has this to say about priorities and what's important in life:

"The competing vies of success in our world often create an interesting tension.  Society tends to define success in terms of accomplishments and awards, material possession, and profit margins.  In the football business, winning is the only thing that matters.  God's Word, however, presents a different definition of success - one centered on a relationship with Jesus Christ and a love for God that allows us to love and serve others.  God gives each one of us unique gifts, abilities, and passions.  How well we use those qualities to have an impact on the world around us determines how 'successful' we really are.  If we get caught up in chasing what the world defines as success, we can use our time and talent to do some great things.  We might even become famous.  But in the end, what will it mean?  What will people remember us for?  Are other people's lives better because we lived?  Did we make a difference?  Did we use to the fullest the gifts and abilities God gave us?  Did we give our best effort, and did we do it for the right reasons?  God's definition of success is really one of significance - the significant difference our lives can make in the lives of others.  This significance doesn't show up in the win-loss records, long resumes, or the trophies gathering dust on our mantels.  It's found in the hearts and lives of those we've come across who are in some way better because of the way we lived."

Just to drive home the point, this is how Clayton Christensen, successful businessman and Harvard professor, finished his famous talk How Will You Measure Your Life:

"This past year I was diagnosed with cancer and I faced the possibility that my life would end sooner than I'd planned.  Thankfully, it now looks as if I'll be spared.  But the experience has given me important insight into my life.  I have a pretty clear idea of how my ideas have generated enormous revenue for companies that have used my research; I know I've had a substantial impact.  But as I've confronted this disease, it's been interesting to see how unimportant that impact is to me now.  I've concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn't dollars but the individual people whose lives I've touched.  I think that's the way it will work for us all.  Don't worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people."

Do you see the pattern here?  From Ric Elias to James to Tony Dungy to Clayton Christensen, the message is the same: what matters is the service and love you show other people.  Yes, part of you should still be concerned about your career, as each of us, to an extent, should.  But what's truly important and what you must center your life around is the positive influence you can have on the lives of others.

Anyway, this is stuff you already know and that you accept as true.  But as has been said, people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.  Don't worry, I still love you and I still think you're sexy.  

Sincerely, 

Yourself