This editorial was originally published on Jun 6, 2008. It is being republished as Steve is on vacation.

Recently I saw a post from Chris Pirillo that his parents were in a car accident and it made me stop and think. I've followed Chris for a long time, think he's built a great company at Lockergnome, been inspired by them in my own endeavors here, and hope things are OK with his family.

If you've read these editorials for any length of time, you know that as much as I talk about your careers and IT, I also want you to remember there is a lot more in your life than your career and I think you should remember that.

We work long hours, endure stress, and from what I've seen in IT, most of us do our best at work. That's good, and many of us struggle when work isn't enjoyable. These forums are full of complaints and problems people have had with work that aren't in any way related to technical issues.

Life is a journey, in time and distance, and like any other road humans have built, it's not perfectly straight. It has ups and downs, it bends around obstacles that can't be moved, it blasts through some that it can, and it offers choices.

The important thing is to move in directions that you enjoy. Take the steps to make your life better, whatever those are, and however you can. Every day isn't your last, so move towards your future, but make it the future you want it to be. I can't tell you what those things are, but think about them, write them down, and make them your goals. Build a Life list and start checking things off. And find joy in the things you accomplish, however small they may seem.

Stop, Smell, Smile.

Stop for a minute or two in your life and smell the roses. Think about what's good in your life, wherever that is, and smile. Enjoy those things that you enjoy.

And oh yeah, repeat that often.

Steve Jones

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