Call me a softy, but I seem to be entering a reflective period of my life.

My oldest just finished her sophomore year of college after spending a semester studying abroad in Spain.  She’s halfway done with college.

My middle just graduated from high school last month.

My youngest will be entering high school just a few short months from now.

I’m knocking on the door of what I consider to be a monumental age (I’ll let you all wonder what age that could be).

My wife and I have been married far longer than the years that we were single.

My business is stewarding wealth for more clients with assets under our management far higher than I ever dreamed possible.  Too, we’re at the cusp of being in business for 25 years (full celebration in 2027)!

So, it might be easy to see why I’ve been so reflective lately.  How about you?

When we consider where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, who we’ve shared it with, and what it all means…we become grateful.  At least, we should be.  And, perhaps a bit undone.  When we consider…

The things we overcame; the things we were too afraid to try.

The things we loved; the things that broke our hearts.

The wisdom we gained; how much more is still unknown.

The things we took for granted; the things we gave more attention than they deserved.

Our true potential; whether we came close to living it.

The life we lived; the life we could have lived but didn’t.

The things we accomplished; the struggles we endured to achieve them.

The things we never said; the things we should have said but didn’t.

The reward of hard work; the cost of apathy.

Do you, like me, live in the tension of these reflective thoughts?  Do you feel them at an emotional level?

The fact is, most of you are living the years…right now…that you’ll one day look back on with a reflective eye.  Each day, you’re writing a story.

One that you’ll read back to yourself and ask: How did I do?  What did I make of this life?  How did I capture the opportunities that were afforded to me?

That’s why I believe that today matters.

In fact, it’s the most important day of your life!  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

Today is being written in permanent ink.

Someday, years from now, you, like me, will sit down and read that book silently to yourself.

What kind of story will it be?

May you live well, so that someday you can reflect on a life well lived.

Reflect, and live on purpose today.