Tick, tick, says the clock
There comes a point in life when you have to stop and ask yourself a simple but uncomfortable question:
Am I really on top of my game?
Not just at work. Not just financially. Not just in the eyes of other people. But in life.
Being on top of your game of life isn’t about having a perfect life. It is about being intentional about the life you have. Here are 9 ways to find out if you’re on top of your game:
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You know where you are going
You don’t need to have your entire life figured out.
But you should have a sense of direction.
What are you working towards? What kind of person do you want to become? What do you want the next five or ten years of your life to look like?
Without direction, it is easy to become busy without actually making progress.
You can spend years climbing the ladder only to discover that it was leaning against the wrong wall.
As Lewis Carroll famously wrote in Alice in Wonderland, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
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Are you still growing?
One of the biggest signs that you are on top of your game is that you haven’t stopped learning.
You read. You listen. You ask questions. You acquire new skills. You expose yourself to new ideas.
Don’t become so comfortable with what you know that you stop discovering what you don’t know.
Albert Einstein once said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
You don’t have to become a completely different person every year. But you should become a wiser, better and more capable version of yourself.
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You are making your time count
Money can be replaced. Time cannot.
Every day you are given 24 hours, but nobody knows how many more days they will receive.
Being on top of your game means becoming more deliberate about how you spend your time.
Ask yourself: Where is my time going? Who is getting the best of me? What am I spending too much time on? What kind of media am I consuming?
What deserves more of my attention? Your calendar often reveals your priorities more honestly than your words do.
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Are your relationships solid and healthy?
Success means very little if you have nobody meaningful to share it with.
Are you maintaining relationships with the people who matter? Are you making time for family and friends? Are you forgiving where you need to forgive? Are you also setting boundaries where you need to set boundaries?
You don’t need hundreds of people around you.
Invest in the right people. Some of your greatest wealth will never appear on a balance sheet
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You are taking care of yourself
Your body is the vehicle carrying you through life.
Yet many people spend decades taking care of everything except themselves.
Work. Business. Family. Bills. Responsibilities. Then one day, they realise they have neglected the very person who has been carrying it all—themselves.
Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish.
Get enough rest. Eat better. Stay active. Pay attention to your well-being. Give yourself time to breathe.
As the old saying goes: “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
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Are you financially responsible and on top of your money?
Being on top of your game doesn’t necessarily mean being wealthy.
It means knowing where your money is going and making deliberate financial decisions.
Are you living within your means? Are you reducing unnecessary debt? Are you saving? Are you investing? Are you preparing for the future?
Financial freedom rarely happens by accident.
Money isn’t everything, but financial chaos can affect almost everything.
Warren Buffett’s simple philosophy is worth remembering: “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
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Do you have a good reputation, and are you respected?
This may be one of the most important questions of all. What do people say about you when you’re not in the room?
Are you considered trustworthy? Dependable? Honest? Fair? Kind? Professional?
Do people respect your word?
Reputation takes years to build and can disappear remarkably quickly.
Your job title may change. Your income may fluctuate. Your possessions will eventually lose their shine.
But your character follows you everywhere.
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Are you spiritually grounded?
Success without inner peace can become another form of emptiness.
At some point, you have to look beyond possessions, titles and achievements and ask deeper questions:
What do I believe? What gives my life meaning? Am I spiritually grounded? Do I have a relationship with God?
What kind of legacy am I leaving behind?
Spirituality reminds us that life is bigger than what we can see, buy or achieve.
You can climb the highest professional mountain and still feel empty inside.
As the Bible asks in Luke 12.15: “For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Spend time in prayer. Reflect. Give thanks. Seek wisdom. Serve others. And remember that your achievements are only one part of your story.
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Are you enjoying the journey?
It’s easy to become so focused on the next goal that you forget to appreciate where you are today.
You tell yourself you’ll relax when you make more money, retire, reach the next position or achieve the next milestone.
But life keeps moving while you wait for the finish line.
Take the trip. Enjoy the meal. Laugh with your friends. Celebrate small victories. Appreciate your family. Stop occasionally and recognise how far you’ve come.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
Ambition is important. So is enjoying the life you are working so hard to build.
