Don't Put It Off

Today's Marketing Cookie is about the big chances we have to create small memories.

My oldest daughter turned eighteen in July and designs characters for video games and anime cartoons. My sixteen-year-old daughter is going into her sophomore year of high school and received an amazing scholarship to spend the entire summer at Stonehill College, earning credits in psychology and dance. My son is twelve, incredibly smart, and will start junior high school right after Labor Day. If there were something I was hoping to enjoy with them, I guess I'd better not put it off until tomorrow. Right?

I struggled to find a reasonable work-life balance through most of my career. Do you have any children still living at home? Is there something you've been putting off? Don't allow your career to consume every waking hour like I had done. Steal some time to enjoy a memory with someone you love. And please do it today!

It doesn't have to be a big memory. When I think about all the times I spent with my parents growing up, it's the small things that I cherish most. Rather than the month-long trip that just my dad and I took across the Pacific coast, I think I cherish the time we played catch in the front lawn even more. I loved when my mother made fried dough for us on Saturdays or how she cared for me when I missed a whole year of school with pneumonia. I remember one hot summer day, I made the worst-looking tent you can ever imagine in the backyard. After dinner, my father agreed to sleep in it with me. Even though it rained on us and we had to come in, these little moments are the memories I cherish most.

As today's fortune says, "Don't put off until tomorrow what can be enjoyed today." It's true. The fact is, you don't need a lot of money, or even a big idea, to enjoy some time with someone you love. Go for a walk together. Make cookies after dinner. Turn off the TV and talk for a little while. Don't delay. Find a way to create a memory. And please do it today!