The title of this blog is a paraphrased line from the classic novel by Graham Greene – Brighton Rock.
In the book The Anti-Hero, Pinkie, the gangster, believes that he can be as bad as he wants in life, but at the very end he'll be able to repent to God and go to heaven. Hence the line ‘in between the stirrup and the ground, he mercy sought and mercy found’.
How many of us live our lives like this?
Just about the time you reach middle to late middle age (50 years old), you find that you probably have the resources and a little bit more of the time to do more of the things that you like; some more of the things you like are going out to eat or to have a drink or to socialise with friends.
Just exactly about this time, your body's telling you that you have to do less of that.
When you look around at people my age (but in particular me), you can see the middle swelling, bigger, harder to control, insulin intolerance and changes to metabolism just at the time when you have the opportunity to do your worst.
Ages ago I read about the difference between tangible and intangible assets.
I have a trajectory now where I can push my business forwards hard: the most extraordinary team of people, the most extraordinary facilities, the most extraordinary opportunities.
What I really need to do is get on my bike.
Still, my instinctive urge is to trade my intangible assets for my tangible assets; I give away degrees of health to gather things.
Always having the insight to know when that is happening is critical.
Time for me to get on my bike again.
Time for me to say no, more often than not.
When I'm offered the chance to drink flat, s**t, lager at a concert.
Time for me to save the good parts as a prize, and then for the good parts to become investing in my intangible assets.
I will not have time between the stirrup and the ground to repent.
Blog Post Number - 4569