100 Days (or 8,640,000 seconds)

I just came back from a trip east to see my kids.

It involved wedding planning (my younger daughter), playing with babies, talking to 20- and 30-something women (my daughters and their friends) about their careers, and firing up my laptop when the kiddos went to sleep so I could map-out priorities for the final 100 days of 2019. (I also downloaded TikTok at the recommendation of Gary Vee to see what all the buzz is about, …but more about that in a future post.)

That work/life integration thing is a reality — even after 40+ years of working motherhood, although technology makes it a hell of a lot easier.

I’ve written previously about the “Real View Mirror” and how looking backward for a little while can help you see a clearer path ahead. Hanging out with my daughters propelled me back into my own youth and some of the choices — rational and otherwise — I made over the years.

Never dwell…never regret…simply ruminate and learn and set goals for the next 100 (days or years…whatever timeframe makes sense to you). Today also happens to be the first day of autumn. Rake up the dead leaves and start thinking about your Halloween costume (i.e., who you REALLY want to be before year-end — whether it relates to yourself or the company you work for) and what you’ll be celebrating on the last day of 2019.

In addition to meeting some intense deadlines this year (which I’m not complaining about — I’m thrilled to be so busy writing, marketing, and speaking), I committed to getting into excellent physical shape again and spending more time teaching, mentoring, volunteering smiling, and traveling. A few years ago, I started keeping a list of 100 things that make me happy, which is a great exercise for anyone who is self-critical or at a crossroads. I plan to do a lot of those things before the year ends. And I end every day with at least one gratitude.

I realized this weekend that 100 days in the greater scheme of things is simply a blip. But how we choose to spend every hour (and in some cases seconds) can make a huge difference in our career and life satisfaction, the lives of others, and our futures.

So, start the countdown…and make every one of those minutes count. (BTW…I’m sort of loving this countdown clock.)

What will YOUR 100 be?