One of the turning points of my life was two years ago when I received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Cebu Chamber of commerce for ICT.  The award was given by the President of the Philippines and during that same night, the chamber of commerce also honored three of the top businessmen of the country.

These people, Andrew Gotianun, John Gokongwei, and Lucio Tan had three things in common - they were Taipans , they were billionaires, and they were all in their seventies. Each of them have probably a dozen or so companies on average, each probably larger than mine.

I was seated just a few feet from them, and it was always great to take in who they are and what they represent.  They were successful, but they were getting old, and had trouble even walking.  One thought occured in my mind - when they looked at me - maybe thirty five years younger and a hundred times poorer, would they willingly switch places with me?

The answer, I reckon, is yes. Who wouldn’t give all his wealth to be 35 years younger?  And , if they were willing to be me - then why was I working so hard to be like them?  Wasn’t the path I taking leading me to where they are now — that is working so hard so that thirty five years from now, I would be like them - rich and reverred but old, and maybe too frail to enjoy the wealth and life itself?

Is that a worthwhile goal, - miss enjoying life and family so that you could accumulate wealth, and finding it too late that your health does not allow you to enjoy even a fraction of it anymore?