I have a friend, Dave, who is in his late-sixties now. Dave has an enjoyment and zest for life that I admire. He also has fantastic stories. And while I’m sure some of those stories have grown with the years, there are some great insights into life hidden inside. One of his stories involved his goal of accomplishing three “major” each weekend.

A “major” for Dave was an activity that many of us would view as making an entire weekend successful by itself. For example, skiing Mt. Hood or clamming at the coast. Dave’s goal was to experience at least three “majors” every weekend. There were also “minors”, like fishing or water skiing, and he had some calculus that made a certain number of “minors” equal a “major.”

Now there’s a lot to be said for enjoying whatever you are doing now, instead of racing to the next thing. So, the purpose of sharing this story isn’t to propose we all try to fit 3 “majors” into each weekend. The point is more to suggest that we each take a look at how much life we currently get out of each day. We all have the same number of hours each day, each weekend, each year. It’s what we do with that time that makes the difference between enduring and living, and then between living and thriving.

If you want to think about this a little further, define what a “major” and a “minor” is for you. Then, figure out how many of each you and your family deserve to experience in the coming month, or even just every weekend. Now you have a goal to aim for, and I hope you, like Dave, make the most out of each day.