"Remember to look up at the stars..."

The late Stephen Hawking was arguably one of the greatest minds in at least our lifetime, if not in history in general.  He passed away in 2018 after living 50 years with motor neuron disease, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig's Disease.  During a 2010 ABC News television interview with Diane Sawyer, Hawking offered the following advice to his three children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim:

"Here are the most important pieces of advice that I've passed on to my children. One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare and don't throw it away."

It's great advice for leadership and life, so I want to dive a little deeper in what I think he meant.  

"Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet"

The first piece of advice is both literal and metaphorical.  Hawking is telling us to always have a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around us.  Only through our imagination and our curiosity can we understand the proverbial "big picture" and solve some of life's most difficult challenges.  As leaders, we should never stop questioning about whether or not there is a better way to do something.  There usually is a better way.  

Hawking suffered through severe physical limitations throughout his life.  He eventually would lose the ability to breathe on his own, and he was only able to communicate through a speech-generating device that he eventually would operate with only a single cheek muscle.  And yet, he continued to make important discoveries in his field that would challenge how all of us think about the world and our place in it.  Most of us are fortunate enough that we will never experience these physical limitations.  We should not let the day-to-day frustrations consume our lives, but rather we should always look forward and continue to challenge ourselves to grow and develop.  

"Never give up work"

The second piece of advice is more literal, but it is equally as important.  Hawking suggests that we should always have a goal in life, an intellectual pursuit that gives us a sense of purpose.  Our wellbeing is critically dependent on our sense of purpose.  Without it, we are lost.  For Hawking, his life's work in theoretical physics and cosmology was his passion.  It wasn't just a job or a career for him.  His passion for his field was his reason for being.  

I talked about the Harvard Business Review article, "How the Busiest People Find Joy" by Leslie A. Perlow, Sari Mentser, and Salvatore J. Affinito in my post "Finding Joy" from earlier this year.  They began the article by stating, "Research suggests that to have a satisfying life, you need to regularly feel three things: achievement (recognition or a sense of accomplishment), meaningfulness (a connection to something bigger than yourself), and joy (happiness or positive emotion) in the moment."  Our work should give us all three.

"If you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare and don't throw it away"

Hawking's third piece of advice is fairly self-explanatory.  Love is an uncommon gift that we should not take for granted.  Ever.  Once you find true love, never let it go.