"Some people should have their tombstone inscribed: 'Died at 40. Buried at 80.'"

- Bob Moawad

As I've mentioned in the past, having my first child this year has really given me perspective about life. A major event in life certainly can give one pause, and force you to take notice. What about the years that go by uneventfully? In those years we may grow complacent.  We get comfortable with what we know and just maintain the status quo until something jumps out at us and makes us think about what we're doing. It's important to be proactive and not complacent in taking stock in your personal and professional life in order to grow.

One of the biggest challenges one may have in their professional life is identifying opportunities in which they can help control what's next. For example, one may look at the hierarchy of their position and feel like they're waiting in line to move up to the next level. If it appears the person that's in a position above them has been there for years and won't be leaving any time soon, it's easy to just get comfortable with your current responsibilities and get into a holding pattern waiting for the next opportunity. However, if you choose not to wait for an opportunity and work harder to find or create opportunities for yourself, you'll likely progress much faster.

The work-life relationship can be so intense that one significant event in either aspect of your life can dramatically affect the other. If you find opportunities and successes at work, the positive effect of them can spill over into your personal life. By the same token, if you become complacent in your work, your complacency can spill over into your personal life. It works similarly at home. It's a little easier to control what happens in our personal lives as you have more control over the variables. And it’s up to you to determine how motivated you are to do for yourself and loved ones on your personal time. Certainly, entering work with a smile because you were happy at home, can have a positive effect on your work.  So be sure not to get too comfortable to where your tombstone would read "Died at 40. Buried at 80." Keep living and continue to reinvent yourself to achieve what you want in life!