HOW DO I KNOW I'M IN HALFTIME?

(September/October 2005 Issue)

At least once a week, someone asks, "How do I know I'm in Halftime? How do I know when it's time to move on?" As the Kenny Rogers tune advises, "You gotta know when to hold 'em and you gotta know when to fold em." My response is always something like: "You know when you know. Tell me your story."

The answer is always personal (it's their answer, not mine); it's intuitive; and it's human. The answer comes from insight, not from analysis. You contemplate for a long while, and then all of a sudden, you see "it." You see what the next move is! But it's been in your history a long, long time. Once you see a new future, the question shifts to one of "Will I do it?" or even more precisely, "Do I have the will to pull the trigger?"

A dramatic example of someone who stepped out of a hugely successful career to act on a more meaning-filled future is this story quoted from an article by chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in The Wall Street Journal March 14, 2005:

"Thirty years ago at the Soviet Junior Championship I played my first major chess event at the national level. Twenty years ago in Moscow I became the youngest World Champion in history. Last week in Spain I played my final serious games of chess, winning the Linares super-tournament for the ninth time. After three decades as a professional chess player, the last two ranked No. 1, I have decided to retire from professional chess."

Kasparov went on to say, ". I'm a man who needs a goal, and who wants to make a difference…I have always set ambitious goals, and I have been lucky enough to attain most of them. I have achieved everything there is to achieve in the chess arena. It had become unfulfilling repetition. . Meanwhile, there are other areas where I can still make a difference, where I can set new goals and find new channels for my energy. At the age of 41, I believe there is still much I can accomplish. My experiences in the chess world have provided me with an excellent foundation for these new challenges . I am currently working on a book on how life imitates chess that will be released this fall in America. It examines the unique formulae people use in thinking and problem-solving. For example, the way hope and doubt affect how we process information, or the way we perform in a crisis…But ultimately it is my interest in politics that has played the principal role in my decision to reallocate my resources away from chess. For many years, I have been an ardent supporter of democracy in Russia, and at certain times I have participated in political activities. Now I will be able to do this with the same determination and passion I brought to the chessboard. I believe my talents and experience can be useful in the political realm. There is something to be said for a chess player's ability to see the whole board. Many politicians are so focused on one problem, or a single aspect of a problem, that they remain unaware that solving it may require action on something that appears unrelated. It is natural for a chess player, by contrast, to look at the big picture."

So now Kasparov is using his lifelong knowledge and passion to play chess on a larger board. For the whole story of what Kasparov is doing with the second half of his life, read the a Wall Street Journal article titled, "The Great Game," March 14, 2005.

About Bob Buford
Bob Buford is chairman of the board of The Buford Foundation and Leadership Network, was the co-founder and first chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, and has authored four books, including Halftime and most recently Finishing Well. Visit www.ACTIVEenergy.net to register for Bob's ACITVEenergy weekly e-newsletter which is full of Bob Buford’s musing, interviews with world-changers, and resources that will enhance your life and work. Contact him as follows:
Bob Buford, 2501 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, Texas 75201 USA.
214-754-9733; e-mail: bjengle@leadnet.org

After selling Buford Television, Inc., a large network of cable systems across the country, in July 1999, Bob Buford has turned to investing the remaining years of his life in the lives of others. He is chairman of the board of The Buford Foundation and Leadership Network, was the co-founder and first chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, and has authored three books, including Halftime and most recently Finishing Well, which can be found at bookstores everywhere. Bob and his wife, Linda, make their home in Dallas, Texas.