put your oxygen mask on first (a poem)

A few weeks ago I had planned on giving a Keep Pursuing talk at the beginning of our annual AGC™ meet-up at the FutureProof Festival in Huntington Beach, California. After checking into my AirBnB later than I had hoped, I got to the meet-up a few minutes after it started, and although my talk was supposed to be at 4:30 (the event started at 4:00), the community was already mixing and mingling, and I decided to scrap the talk because I didn’t want to interrupt the vibe.

The meet-up was not about my talk. It was about our community getting to socialize in person, which doesn’t happen enough because we are spread out across the country (and the globe). I felt that I would have ruined the conversations, laughter, and drinks that were being shared.

I’ll still give that talk because I am proud of what I wrote.

As I have done with all of the Keep Pursuing talks, I also wrote a spoken word “poem” to summarize the message of the longer talks. Here is that poem–the audience was a group of financial advisors, but it applies to everyone.
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You have good intentions

putting your clients' interest

ahead of your own.

Sacrificing your well-being

to ensure they rest easy.

Missed workouts.

Skipped meals.

Poor stress management.

Crappy sleep.

You think by putting them first,

you are giving your clients the best.

The truth is while your intentions are pure,

your clients (and family) are only getting a fraction of you.

It may not be your worst,

but it’s certainly not your best.

To be the best version of You,

you have to take care of your Self first.

As you probably heard in the last couple of days,

“put your oxygen mask on first before helping loved ones or those who need assistance.”

Sacrificing your Self is mistaken for selflessness,

but it ends up being selfish.

Your clients, loved ones, and the world

Deserve the best version of You,

which can only happen when you

put your oxygen mask on first.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC