One of the great joys of getting older is time - suddenly there is more time for the really important things - like sitting and marveling at the sunset, or walking in the park (in the middle of the day when you "should" be working).
When I was young and heading up the career ladder, I had blinders on. Oh yes, we all knew the old saying, "No one every lay on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time working," but I'll tell you, when you want to leave your mark in the world and earn lots of money and become a partner and, and and.... what you do is dedicate your life to work.
I can remember not leaving the office for 48 hours at a time - catching catnaps under the editing bench, which was my version of a desk.
This is what I have learned (and age does beget wisdom if you keep your eyes and ears open): no matter how much you sacrifice to the company or how much loyalty you give it, you will never get it back in kind. The company's loyalty is to the bottom line. No matter how great your relationship with your boss or how much he praises you, when the chips are down, the bottom line is more important.
Don't wait to live your life. Don't make personal sacrifices for that nebulous career goal. Live, love. laugh, enjoy.
The benefit of getting older, is understanding all that and then actually acting on it. Smell the roses? Hell, I'll do more than that; I'll take time to plant them, nurture them and bring them to full bloom.
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