Have you ‘arrived?’

Are you more successful than you ever thought you’d be? Are your bank accounts and trophy cases full?

Are people whispering behind your back about how nice it must be to be you?

If this is true for you, congratulations! Despite what some people might want to believe, not much is given in this world. So, if you’ve ‘arrived’, there’s more than a good chance that it’s because of the effort and commitment you put into a pursuit that mattered to you and to a lot of other people (i.e. customers, colleagues, investors, etc.). In other words, you’ve earned it!

The challenge with having arrived is that you’re faced with a tough question – now what? Chances are you’ve got lots of options and there is a giant industry called ‘retirement’ that bombards us with ideas and images about what you ‘deserve’ after you’ve made it. A life or relaxation, golf, fishing, travel (and pickleball, of course). Winding down. Sounds fun, right?

But what about meaning, purpose, and impact? I’ve seen way too many people who’ve ‘made it’ think way too little about what comes next. “I’ll figure it out” they tell themselves while they slowly but surely do not.

The truth is you never ‘arrive.’ You simply change games. Charlie Munger said, “the best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.” Charlie embraced and modeled that belief until his final day. That’s impact.

Winding down? No thanks.

Winding up? That’s arriving!