Retirement can wait!

I was riding on my way back from lunch when I noticed two young kids (about 5 & 8 years old respectively) running a lemonade stand. Given that I have a "soft heart" for budding entrepreneurs, I stopped and decided to support them.

The young one was so excited - particularly because it turned out that I was their first customer. We ended up chatting for a few minutes and I left there feeling like I had connected with the little kid in a special way.

This experience reminded me of a similar one I had in Tanzania a few years back. I was leading one of our Learning Vacations and we visited a Massai Village. A few of the Massai villagers were selling various items. Though I had no intention of buying anything, I ended up buying a genuine Massai spear as a souvenir. The reason for this was my interaction with the Massai man and his wife who sold me the spear. They didn't speak English and I didn't speak Swahili. However, we found a way to communicate and laugh and made the whole experience much more than commerce. I felt like I had connected with those people in a very special way.

The catalyst in both of these situations was doing business. Had it not been for it, I would have never interacted with the kids or the Massai couple. And my life would have certainly been poorer as a result.

I look at my business the same way. It is a catalyst to offer me opportunities to connect with people that I would normally not connect with. And my life is much richer as a result. No wonder I'm not in any hurry to retire!