Introduction

In January of 2008, Chase Bank launched a series of high-energy commercials to promote their new theme – Chase What Matters. One of the ads featured a man drooling over a giant TV in an electronics superstore. Using his mobile phone, he sends a text to Chase to find out his available credit. Playing in the background is Queen’s most popular song of 1989, “I Want It All.” As the man returns home to celebrate the purchase with his wife, the commercial concludes with a silky-smooth voiceover urging the viewer to “Chase What Matters.”

Now that’s an interesting perspective. I’ve bought a few televisions through the years, but I’ve never considered my shopping experience to be a particularly important chase. I was so intrigued by this commercial that I launched a four-week series in our church in which I asked one question: “Are you chasing what matters?”

It was a crossroads moment for many as they assessed the passion and impact of their life. One CEO began concluding all letters from his office with the phrase “Chasing What Matters.” He would eventually design a gift for our home that continues to sharpen our family’s focus. Sitting on a bookshelf in our den is a two-foot piece of slate engraved with three words – Chase What Matters. Five years after I asked a few hundred people to assess the trajectory of their life, it is my hope to put that same question to a broader audience through this book. So let me ask you:

What are you chasing in life?

And if you get it, does it really matter?