A few weeks ago, I found myself at Dollywood in Tennessee
with my nieces and stepson. Like any self-respecting adult trying to impress a
group of kids, I climbed onto one of the park's wooden roller coasters.
The kids loved it.
My back did not.
As I slowly climbed out of the ride and tried to convince
myself I was still young enough for roller coasters, I realized something:
success looks very different as I approach 50 than it did at 29.
When I was younger, success seemed pretty straightforward.
It was about building a business, hitting the next milestone, landing new
clients, and constantly pushing toward bigger goals. Like many entrepreneurs, I
spent years focused on growth and achievement.
The funny thing about goals is that every time you reach
one, another appears.
A few years ago, life forced me to slow down and look at
things differently. I was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor and underwent
surgery that removed half of my pancreas, my spleen, and my gallbladder.
Thankfully, the cancer was caught in time, but the experience changed me.
When you go through something like that, your perspective
shifts in ways that are hard to fully put into words.
Before my diagnosis, I often treated time as if there would
always be more of it. Like many entrepreneurs, I was focused on what was next:
the next project, the next opportunity, the next goal.
Cancer has a way of forcing you into the present. It makes
you appreciate the people around you and the opportunities you have today. It
also makes you realize that success is not simply measured by what you've
accumulated, but by the impact you've had on others and the relationships
you've built along the way.
You begin to realize that time is precious. You think more
about family, relationships, health, and the legacy you're building. The things
that once felt urgent become less important, while the things that truly matter
come into sharper focus.
That perspective came rushing back during our trip to
Knoxville. Watching my nieces and stepson laugh, ride roller coasters, and
enjoy being kids reminded me that some of life's greatest moments aren't found
in conference rooms or spreadsheets. They're found in the memories we create
with the people we care about.
As business owners, it's easy to convince ourselves that
we'll make more time later. Later, when the company is bigger. Later, when
things slow down. Later, when we've reached the next goal.
The reality is that "later" has a way of arriving
much faster than we expect.
Looking around at my nieces and stepson, I realized they
won't stay this age forever. These trips and these moments, even the memories
of getting tossed around by a wooden roller coaster, are things we'll laugh
about for years. Those experiences reminded me that success isn't just about
building a business. It's about building a life worth remembering.
Ironically, that same perspective has changed how I think
about technology.
I've spent most of my career working in technology and
helping businesses navigate constant change. For years, technology was often
viewed as the goal. Companies wanted the newest systems, the latest software,
and the next big innovation.
Today, I see it differently.
Technology isn't valuable simply because it's new. It's
valuable because it gives people something they can never get back once it's
gone: time.
Every business owner has a limited number of hours in the
day. Every employee has a limited amount of energy and focus. Yet many
organizations still spend countless hours dealing with repetitive tasks,
inefficient processes, and technology frustrations that prevent them from
focusing on higher-value work.
That's one of the reasons technologies like automation and
artificial intelligence have become so important. When used correctly, they
help eliminate repetitive work, streamline processes, and allow people to focus
on solving problems, serving customers, and building relationships.
At CloudMinders, that's how we think about technology.
Our job isn't simply to fix computers or manage networks.
Our job is to help businesses remove obstacles. When technology is secure,
reliable, and working the way it should, employees spend less time fighting
with systems and more time doing meaningful work. Business owners spend less
time worrying about IT issues and more time focusing on their customers, their
employees, and their growth.
In many ways, technology should help us become more human,
not less.
The older I get, the more I realize that success isn't
measured by how busy we are. It's measured by how intentionally we spend the
time we have.
For some people, success may mean growing a company. For
others, it may mean having dinner with family more often, taking that
long-postponed vacation, coaching a child's sports team, or simply being
present for the moments that matter most.
Business is important. Technology is important. Growth is
important.
But none of those things matter much if we lose sight of why
we're pursuing them in the first place.
Today, success looks different than it used to.
And after everything life has taught me over the years, I'm
grateful that it does.
