Living Life In The Rearview

I was out yesterday, and ran into a guy named Joe. Joe was a really nice guy and seemed to be very friendly  – even outgoing to a certain degree. Joe and I happened to start up a conversation while we were standing in line together about to get something to eat, and he had a few stories to tell.

Joe was eager to share his stories, and really had a knack for drawing you in too! He told me about the his first car – a black 1985 Trans Am, and he told me about the time his Dad bust him and his first real girlfriend making out in it when he was supposed to be home.

Joe was eager to share his short jaunts down memory lane and got a big grin on his face every time he was in the middle of the punch line. But one story Joe told really made his eyes sparkle. His body animated, Joe told the story of his senior year in high school where he caught an interception, in the 3rd quarter – that in his telling – set his team up for the win and cinched a season title; you could almost see him catching that ball – dodging the would-be offense and scoring 36 yards on the return.

And he looked at me and said something I don’t think I’ll soon forget, “That was the best day of my life, Ken.”

The Best Day of My Life

Wow, what would it be like to know that the best day of your life happened over three decades ago? What would it be like to know that every day since then was down hill and never measured up to that single 36 yard return?

Too often, we look to our past to be the measuring stick for our happiness. We store away our good memories to pull out on gloomy days, in hopes of consoling poor spirits when life has just kicked us in the gut – when life has knocked the wind out of us.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend for my life to be a ticking clock. I want to be a student of life – always learning and looking forward not back.

But not Joe.

Joe was caught in the past.

What a sad thing to say that the single defining moment you hold up about yourself happened in your past – and it you didn’t even get the touchdown.

Image courtesy of A6U571N

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. To learn more about Ken, visit his about page. You may also find Ken on FriendFeed, Twitter, and LinkedIn.