Today’s Brilliance from Sanjay Patel

Didn’t win the $640 million mega lottery? Don’t be sad. Do you know a person who cares for you? If so, you are receiving the one thing in the universe that money cannot buy: Love!

So cultivate a balanced life. Aside from routine work, make time for family and friends.

Work never ends. There will always be something to do. Catching up with emails, phone calls, and other bits and bobs will have you on a treadmill. Sometimes, the only way to get jobs done is to simply cross them off your to-do list! That frees up space in your life to do what is truly valuable – spending quality time with your life partner, significant other, kids, family, and friends. You can participate in other precious activities, too, like volunteering at a charity, helping people you don’t even know.

So step off that treadmill. Take your foot off the gas. Slow down.

We are fortunate to live in an age when communication is easy, instantaneous, and relatively cheap. Our phones are with us 24/7. We have saved the numbers of all our dear ones. They’re right at our fingertips, just two touches away. Yet we may not call them for years.

Why? The frequent answer is: “No time.”

But there is. Only, we have not prioritized it correctly. We feel that family and friends can wait. “They’re not going anywhere,” we think. “We’ll just complete these few pieces of work and chores. Then we’ll sit back and call all our loved ones.”

Ask yourself: For how long have you been promising this? How many years have rushed by? Soon, it will be your whole life. Do not take today for granted. And tomorrow is truly uncertain. Try to live everyday as though it was the last – if not for yourself, then for someone you love. Then you will make a larger effort to reach out to them or be with them. Doing this will not only make your life richer and more meaningful, it will do so for the people you care for, and the same people who care for you.

To love and be loved, that is the goal of life. We are love junkies. But love is received only through giving love. Love truly begets love. Best of all, it’s priceless and comes free.

So go spread your love. Don’t wait a moment. Hug your partner right now. Kiss your child right now. Call your parents right now. Send that card right now.

Are you still here? What are you waiting for? Reach out to a loved one right away! And as you reach out to them, I will send you all my love and prayers from beyond, too.