Sometimes I feel guilty abandoning work to fulfill dreams with my family. But it's so much better than feeling guilty about not fulfilling dreams with my family--particularly while my daughter is still with us at home.

In this economic environment, everyone is working harder out of necessity. Yet, at the last two funerals I attended this year, I was struck by how the eulogies I heard never made mention of the extra time those departed souls spent in their office. No, the people who mattered most talked about their love for their family, their friends, their community, and perhaps those customers whose lives they may have touched.

When I reached out to friends I've not seen in months to invite them to Bonita's birthday tomorrow, it was eye-opening and heart wrenching to hear from so many people whose lives have been impacted by sudden changes of fate over the past year. My coauthor Brian Tracy is enduring horrible radiation therapy and inspiring everyone with his undaunted enthusiasm for life and work. Another friend is having a thyroid removed; others are fighting cancer of every kind. It felt good to talk to so many people whom I've missed during this busy year, but it was also a warning: Carpe Diem.

Whatever the dream you have for your life or your family, do it now.

When clients sent me to the World Cup to do seminars a few weeks ago, I never hesitated to fulfill a dream I had for my daughter: an African safari. My last trip to Africa 14 years ago included service work for Save the Children, and it resulted in Bonita and I deciding to become parents for the first time--before it was too late. We had been together 20 years and were in our early 40s before deciding to have our first and only child. I couldn't wait for that girl to be old enough to return to the the cradle of life, to see Africa, where so much of humanity was conceived.

In the Bush, there are few animals, particularly prey, who sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. Under those circumstances, the job of life is survival. Unless you've ever been seriously hungry or threatened, it's hard to appreciate how good you have it when you're not worried about your next meal or whether you will be one for someone else.

In the brief video you can watch below, my daughter and I share a moment of our dream. She's been around the world three times with us--we live an extraordinary life.

As Jack London said, I'd 'rather be ashes than dust'.