Just One More
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer
Last week, I was listening to the Ed Mylett Show podcast while driving to an early meeting when I heard Ed mention the phrase just one more. I first learned about Ed when he spoke at Live2Lead a few years ago, and he also used that phrase, so I knew exactly what he was referencing. The strange thing about Ed using it to kick off his podcast was that it didn’t fit the “Ten Things to Stop Doing to Maximize Your Life” title.
We live in such a pressure-packed world where we try to fit more and more into our schedule. We add meetings before work, and then again after work. We are so afraid that we will miss out on something (or that our kids will miss out) that we over-plan and overdo. We view things as “it’s just one more.” What if we look at this phrase from a different angle? What if we were only given one more?
The power behind the phrase is if you just had one more week, or one more day, or one more hour with someone, or one more opportunity, what would you do? John Maxwell speaks of living with intentionality. Not letting others dictate what we feel or what we do but becoming highly intentional in choosing to live the life we were created to live. So, let’s get back to the question: what if you had just one more? How would your day be different?
How would you live if you knew this was your last week on this earth? I don’t mean this to be a morbid thought but rather an empowering one. If you only had one more week, what would matter to you? In the podcast, Ed shared that he attended a full-day volleyball tournament with his daughter and realized at the end of the day that the late great Kobe Bryant was also there with his daughter. At the end of the day, he watched Kobe give his daughter a big hug, rub her back and walk out. The following week, Kobe and his daughter were tragically killed in a helicopter accident. Ed said he is much more intentional about hugging his own daughter now, because he never knows if it could be the last time.
Recently, I have been increasingly frustrated by the toxic environment political landscape. I know we have had times like this in the past, but I am just sick and tired of the negativity and character assassination you see in ads, and the absence of any real leadership in bringing people together. Maybe as I get older these things bother me more, or perhaps I am more aware of how damaging it is for our country than when I was a younger man. The truth is that this election will come and go, with one-half of the country being happy and the other half being upset. What if this was the last election cycle I could have with my grandchildren? What would I share with them? If I only had one more class to teach on the topic of leadership, what is the most critical message I would share? By intentionally engaging positively with those I love and care about, I make the most of my life and lessen the negativity. I just keep reminding myself, what if I had just one more?
As we head toward Thanksgiving, I want to refine my focus on what really matters again. I want to live with thankfulness and appreciation toward God and those I am blessed to have in my life. I have had a busy year with some challenges that have me too wound up and over-stressed. It was the perfect time for Ed to say, Dave, what if you had just one more?