Chris Winfield is on a mission to help people take their life back.
“Work less. Accomplish more. Live life fully,” says his website.
And Chris practices what he preaches. His social stream is full of pictures from date night with his wife, arts and crafts with his daughter, Central Park excursions and more.
This summer, Chris shared with our mastermind group that his best friend had passed away. As a (beautiful) tribute, he shared some of the most important things his friend taught him over the years.
As I read what Chris had learned, I was instantly reminded of what’s important in life. My wife and I used to have a saying after a tough day, “It’s just marketing.” A reminder that we did our best, and that rarely are things as important as they seem in the moment. I know I work too much. I’m rarely present — always thinking about what’s next, what has to be done.
It’s sad really. And very prevalent among people my age.
Notably, young people put work well ahead of their physical and mental health, social lives and personal time, the report found. Only 28 per cent of young people say their work suffers, despite work emerging as the third-most common source of stress, according to the research. (Source.)
Why do we put work first? I think we have it backwards. Here’s Chris with a wake up call!
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I’ve had a lot of really amazing friends in my life but I’ve only ever had one true best friend…someone who loved me unconditionally and I was able to do the same for him…and he passed away on Monday morning at 5:56am.
My dog Charlie meant the world to me. Over the last 9 years, we were never apart. We called him our “first kid” and my daughter referred to him as “my brother”. He was everything that I aspire to be (kind, selfless, loyal, fun and truly in the moment each and every day).
He was a five-time cancer survivor. Four different times he looked cancer right in the eye and kicked it’s ass…without ever complaining.
I learned things from him that I don’t think I could have ever learned from another person because everything was always so black and white. There was never any flip-flopping.
He taught me so much in our time together and I wanted to share some of those lessons with you…
(1) Unconditional love is real.
It didn’t matter if I was gone for 2 minutes or 2 days, when I came through the door Charlie acted like he just won the lottery. He was always so excited and genuinely happy to see me. It didn’t matter what I had, what happened to me that day — he simply showed his love to me in the best way possible.
There were never any conditions on his love. For someone (me) who spent a big part of his life putting conditions on love, this was a very powerful example for me. I’m still not as good as he was but I’m getting better…
(2) At the end of the day, being popular doesn’t really matter.
Charlie was a blue Shar-pei. Most people (even here in NYC) had never seen a dog like him so he got lots of attention. People would constantly stop us in the street, in the park, or wherever we were to meet him.
They would fawn all over him and Charlie would just sit there taking in the scenery. All of the attention and praise didn’t affect his life in any way. What a beautiful example.
(3) Family always comes first.
Charlie wasn’t the kind of dog that will jump all over a stranger or even give them more than a slight tail wag when he meets them. It didn’t matter who it was, how much money they have or how famous they are (and some really famous people lavished him with praise). He was nice to them but it doesn’t go much further than that.
But if it was someone in our family, he treated them like they were the biggest star in the world and the most important person to ever live.
This was a great example for me because often times it’s easier for me to treat someone new nicer than I would treat the closest people in the world to me. But I learned from Charlie that I often have this backwards.
(4) Put love before money.
When Charlie came to us as a puppy, one of his eyes was swollen shut and required immediate surgery. This was just the beginning of his medical issues. His vet bills in the first year of his life alone cost us in the tens of thousands of dollars.
At the time, I was pretty much broke. My first company hadn’t turned the corner yet and it would be another year or so before it took off. At that point, my wife and I were in full start-up mode and living on nothing.
But it was never a question for us to do whatever we could or spend whatever we needed to in order for him to get the best care possible. Some people would say to us, “He’s just a dog, be smart about what you are doing.” We were.
(5) Don’t be afraid to express gratitude, love and excitement at every moment possible.
Charlie didn’t pick and choose when he was going to be happy or sad. There wasn’t a passive aggressive bone in his body. He was all love. I would be sitting on the couch reading and he would just decide to jump up there to give me a hug, wagging his tail a million miles an hour. It could seem like it was for no reason but it was really for every reason…and that’s beautiful.
(6) The little things are really the BIG things.
A summer breeze, a walk in the park, a nap with someone you love. It’s easy for me to overlook these things. It’s easy for me to get caught up in what’s next and to want more. But Charlie reminded me that these little things are really the big things. These are really the things that make life so amazing.
I miss my little buddy so much…but I cherish the time we had together and I’m thankful for everything he gave me, taught me and helped me to be.
One day, I want to be the person my dog thought I was…and that’s the journey I’m on.
Chris Winfield is a passionate entrepreneur, writer and coach in New York City. Chris helps successful entrepreneurs and executives decrease their time spent working while increasing how much they accomplish. With the use of simple systems, techniques and the power of true focus, Chris teaches his clients and readers how to truly work smarter not harder. This new freedom gives them more time to spend doing what they want, with the people they love. Learn more about Chris.
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This blog started primarily as a marketing blog, but now I write much more about work/life, social psychology, health and happiness. I will also continue to explore top performers (authors, entrepreneurs, business leaders and more) and dissect what we can take away to be top performers in our own work and personal lives.
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