What is important in your life?

Are you sure?

I bring this topic up because of a few recent incidents in our world. At present the Pan American Games are taking place in the Toronto Ontario area of Canada. While it is not the Olympics it is sports and I admire the work ethic and perseverance that all the athletes have put in.

My challenge is that many athletes have been isolated from the ‘real’ world and the challenges that occur on a day to day basis. It is when they become stars and are admired by fans for their athletic abilities that I think we all lose sight of what is important.

Let me give you an example.

I am a fan of the Canadian Football League and there is a rookie quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. His name is Rakeem Cato. In his first game he lead the team to a victory over last years champions. He was asked by the press about his feelings. He stated; “I don’t get nervous, I lived a rough life. I lost my mom. I never seen my father. Those things are hard. Not football.” Now doesn’t that give you a great perspective on your life, your focus and your challenges?

I want to finish off this blog by showing you how we can lose our perspective on what really matters in life. It is the story of Andrés Escobar a Columbian soccer star. He was murdered after the 1994 FIFA World Cup. It was reportedly done as punishment for him having scored an own goal, which is a goal scored into your own net by accident. Sadly this goal contributed to the team’s elimination from the tournament. Escobar is still held in the highest regard by Colombian fans, and is especially mourned and remembered by his home team fans. In my research I found out that Andrés Escobar is known for this famous line as well, “Life doesn’t end here”. Of course he was referring to the games he loved.

Now doesn’t that give you a better perspective on what to classify as important in your life?