Bob Buford is serving as a contributing writer to the American City Business Journals.

Twice per month, Bob’s writing is featured in 46 Business Journals across the U.S. This week’s article features current Halftime Institute CEO and new author, Dean Niewolny. Dean’s debut book, Trade Up released July 2017.

For a complete list of all Bob Buford’s articles in the American City Business Journals, CLICK HERE. 

How to Finish the Year with No Regrets

Dec 13, 2017, 3:05am EST

Another year has almost passed. That means this is a great time to look back and see how things went and maybe make some adjustments for 2018 — not only in business but in all areas of our lives.

While it may seem easier (at least in the short term) to just move ahead and keep doing what you are already doing, you can’t afford to do so.

I have this theory about time. It’s not anything that Einstein would put his name on, but it’s something that makes sense to me. I think as we get older, time picks up speed — or at least it seems to. Here’s what I mean.

When we were five and someone told us that we’d have to wait till next year for something, it seemed like a lifetime, didn’t it? But when we are 40 or 50, a year is just a blip. We’ve seen so many others go by, each picking up speed like a bullet train. A year doesn’t seem like all that much anymore in the scheme of things.

Here’s the danger with that fast-moving train called time: If we wait too long, if we make up excuses, or if we stay too busy to take inventory of our lives and figure out how to finish well, several years can pass by; maybe even a decade. That’s a lot of lost potential, wouldn’t you say?

So, why do we put off this kind of thing in the first place? Well, the problem with looking for answers is there is a real possibility that you might just find them, and knowing what’s true requires something of us.

Someone once told me that if they had cancer, they wouldn’t want to know. That seems crazy, doesn’t it? But in a way we all have done that with our unique talents and gifts — except it’s not a deadly disease. It’s self-discovery, with all of the awesome possibilities that doing that has to offer…READ MORE