When fear, pain, and change come together they often invite a cloud of anxiety that prevents us from seeing what we value most. As an investment professional I get to observe the economic data that results from times of uncertainty or hardship. Recently, we’ve seen panic, unemployment and fear control the news feeds but occasionally, we find something different.
While most of us are fearful of change or not being able to provide for our families, Alex Reiff shares how losing his employment was actually the change he needed most. He worked hard for his past employer often using every bit of free time to get things done. He said,
“During the first 4 months of my son's life I prioritized work and travel over being a dad. Trips, emails, phone calls, meetings all came first... I justified it as, working to create an amazing life for him and my wife."
His story, like so many of our stories, start by working hard to provide for the people we care about most. He said, he “placed first” all those things we do for work and placed second, the people he did them for. I think most of us do that. We work hard and try to build a life for the people we love instead of being in the lives of the people we love. We justify our hard work, with the hope that it pays off in the future, but risk losing what we care most about. When Alex’s position was terminated he got a chance to reflect on the story he was writing. He saw how he had lost time that he would never get back. Time he could have spent with his five month old son, time with his wife, and time learning to be a dad. When he had to take a step back from the hustle he thought about what he truly valued and how to maximize the time he gained for the things he values most. What could have been seen as a loss he began seeing as a gain. Now he says he is,
“Taking time to just be a dad. Taking time to support my wife's goals. Taking time to reset, study, learn and grow.”
Maybe fears about the corona virus are distracting you from the things that you care about most. I hope like Alex, we are able to step back from this season and reorient our lives in a way that makes the most of the things we value. Whether you are still employed or working to find an employer, taking time to reflect on what you value may just be the best thing you do. There are 18 million people currently unemployed through this season. How great would it be “to reset, study, learn and grow,” and re-center our lives on the things that matter most.