“Festivals should be celebrated as they fall,” they say. I had to learn that first.
On my 30th birthday, I locked myself in a quiet place and cried for my lost youth. But after that, I celebrated every milestone birthday with pleasure and creative ideas.
The last milestone was almost eight years ago: my 60th. At that time, I traveled with my wife and our two adult daughters to a remote archipelago for a week. The date was blocked, the destination a nice surprise.
Coastal walks, dream beaches, snorkeling, giant tortoises. Well, guess, where we have been?
After my return, a second party followed: I invited 60 dear people, 30 friends and 30 relatives, to a wellness weekend in the Black Forest.
And then came the surprise of my family. They smuggled a small extra note into the invitation card:
“We all know Bernd’s passion for reading. That’s why we want to give him a special kind of collection for his 60th birthday: We would like to ask you to bring him your favorite book as a gift – whether it’s a children’s book, non-fiction book or novel – with a personal dedication that explains why you love this book so much. A bookshelf will be available at the celebration.”
An impressive collection of 60 books came together. To be precise, 58, because two were double. But even more impressive were the stories about it. Storytelling at its best.
I am grateful that I was able to use this opportunity for a unique experience.
Despite the hectic everyday business life,
despite the multilingualism of the guests,
despite the uncertainty of whether friends and family would complement each other.
They did. And how. In pleasantly perceived interest.
And now I’m interested: Which rituals accompany your milestone birthdays, or which ones would you like to introduce?
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I am Bernd Scharbert and I accompany managers when difficult private or professional decisions are pending. Instead of work-life balance, it is better to have leadership-in-balance-with-life. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me.
#Prepare4Landing #LeadershipInBalance #BalancedScorecard4Life
Thanks to Frank Siebold for the inspiration for this post (https://lnkd.in/diMSQ-Kg).
