I was in touch with a colleague recently who retired about 3 years ago. Asked him how he was liking it, and his reply was that his focus on self-improvement during that time was way better than any accomplishments he’d had in his career in the auto industry. That’s probably somewhat a reflection on the industry (very high competitive pressure) as well as his ability to allocate time to personal improvement while working.
It certainly helped reinforce what I’m doing this year. After many years of traveling 70% of the time I’m limiting it to perhaps one trip/month. And in place of that my wife and I have already been to 3 music concerts, one play and one movie this year. The slower pace is a reminder of my priorities in the 1970’s.
So what does this have to do with quality? Well in the end it’s not really the quality of products/services that make or break us, although they can certainly have an impact. But it’s more about how well we understand and live our priorities. Of course those change during our life cycle based on other demands such as raising a family, but we need to make sure we take time to review our own life strategies on a regular basis.