On the eve of the presidential elections, how to survive and make best use of our time here on earth may be even more top of mind than usual. What better time to share a recent piece by Fast Company’s Laura Vanderkam: “Cancer Survivors Share Hard-Won Lessons On Managing Time Well.” Beyond being fascinating in its own rights, the article features our own Matt Hall reflecting on his experience living with leukemia (a subject he also explores more extensively in his book, “Odds On.”)

When Matt was hit with the bad news in 2006 (only about a year after co-founding Hill Investment Group), he found it hard to sustain his usual “Take the Long View” outlook. As Vanderkam’s article relates:

“[Matt] recalls being in his car afterward. His wife was driving. He looked out the window and saw other people in their cars, heads moving to the music. ‘Life goes on, but in my car it felt like life was at a standstill.’”

Fortunately, Matt and his doctors found a treatment that has enabled him to effectively manage his chronic disease during the decade since. If anything, his commitment to long-view living is even stronger, with an intense approach to living every day. (Although those of us who have known Matt for years would debate whether that’s really all that new!)

In summarizing Matt’s and other cancer survivors’ experiences, the article wraps: “For all the different reactions, one theme emerges: Surviving tends to make people think that there is no point wasting time and energy on things that are neither meaningful nor enjoyable.”

As you consider this and future elections, you may want to heed Matt’s and his fellow survivors’ life experiences. Focus on the details you can control in your life. Don’t “fool around with small stuff,” as Matt advises. Hire someone else to mow your lawn. If you have been longing to do something … do it.

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Last month Hill Investment Group celebrated 11 years of taking the long view! We try to get our entire team together for this annual family celebration. Having our kids and spouses mix and mingle truly enhances the bond we have at the office. This party is certainly one of our best HIG traditions.

We enjoyed a fantastic BBQ dinner and spent a beautiful evening poolside at Matt and Lisa’s new (old) home. It is always a highlight of our year to spend time with of our co-workers’ family members.

*This year Henry and Laurence’s daughters, Julia and Kathryn, were still at summer camp and couldn’t make the party.

Our own Matt Hall was honored to be invited as a panelist at the annual Financial Planning Association Conference. His session, Citizens of the World: Developing Confidence in Global Investment for Better Portfolio Management, was moderated by financial journalist Charles Sherry. Robert Van Beek, who is converting Odds On to Dutch, and Sarah Newcomb, author of Loaded, were Matt’s co-panelists.