I’ve been blessed with good health, good fortune and a good mind. Over the course of my life, I’ve endured poverty and hardship and I’ve also reached the highest heights.
I was able to turn my one-man tool shop into one of the world’s largest and most successful automotive parts suppliers, Magna International Inc., a company with more than 150,000 employees worldwide and over $40 billion in annual sales.
In my early 70s – what I regard as the height of my career – I began to count my blessings and think about the priorities in life. When we are young and starting out in life, we work hard to make enough money so that we can provide for our families and live in dignity when we eventually retire. And in the process of trying to make a living, we sometimes lose focus of the real priorities in life.
Health – the number one priority in life
I’m a great believer that the number one priority in life – the one that stands above all others – is to stay healthy.
When we become sick and weakened by illness, most of us would give everything we own for the chance to be healthy again.
If you are healthy, you think more clearly. You’re able to work better and be more productive. You have more energy. And you are able to get the most out of life, whether its building a successful career, playing sports or pursuing leisure activities. The fact is, it’s much easier to be happy when you’re healthy.