Mike’s Musings: Holidays are here, enjoy your family

As we partake in a Thanksgiving feast, watch football, and enjoy time with our relatives, I harken back to these words from Apple founder, Steve Jobs, who died at the age of 56, and lamented about his lack of time with family and friends, in favor of being one of the world’s most successful businessmen. Truer words couldn’t be spoken and at this time when we enjoy our family most, we should heed his advice. This is what he said:

“I have reached the pinnacle of success in business.” In other people’s eyes my life is a success.
However, aside from work, I’ve had little joy.
At the end of the day, wealth is just a fact I’ve gotten used to.
Right now, lying on my hospital bed, reminiscing all my life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth I took so much pride in, has faded and become meaningless in the face of imminent death.
You can hire someone to drive your car or make money for you, but you can’t hire someone to stand sick and die for you.
Material things lost can be found again. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost: Life.
Whatever stage of life we are currently at, in time we will face the day the curtain closes.
Love your family, spouse, children and friends… Treat them right .
Cherish them.
As we get older, and wiser, we slowly realize that wearing a $300 or $30 watch both give the same time
Whether we have a $300 or $30 wallet or purse, the amount inside is the same.
Whether we drive a $150,000 car or a $30,000 car, the road and the distance are the same, and we reach the same destination.
Whether we drink a $1000 or $10 bottle of wine, the hangover is the same.
Whether the house in which we live is 100 or 1000 square meters, loneliness is the same.
You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from material things of this world.
Whether you travel first class or economy class, if the plane crashes, you go down with it…
Therefore, I hope you realize, when you have friends, brothers and sisters, with whom you discuss, laugh, talk, sing, talk about north-south-east or heaven and earth, this is the real happiness!!
An indisputable fact of life:
Don’t raise your children to be rich.
Educate them to be happy.
When they grow up, they will know the value of things and not the price. “

I feel sad for Jobs. He never found true happiness. On this very special day and weekend known as Thanksgiving, we all need to give thanks for the special people in our lives and resolve to spend more time with them, and most certainly, treat them right.

With that said, I wish you all a terrific Thanksgiving. Feast on turkey, converse with family and have the best time of your life. Life is fleeting and too short, not too. You don’t want to end your life like Jobs, wishing you had done more for your children, spouse, family and friends.