Do you ever contradict yourself?
Are there situations when you allow your own values and priorities to be compromised?
Have you ever caught yourself doing something you said you would never do?
I have. In my experience, it doesn’t feel good. In fact, it makes me feel like crap and I don’t like it one bit. It is not easy to admit to myself, much less to share with you.
On October 12, 2013, I will celebrate my one year anniversary of making the leap from my comfortable twelve year sales career to a path of greater purpose and meaning and to pursue my passion for helping others.
In the United States over 85% of all businesses fail within the first year. Just making it this far is a major milestone in my life and a great time to reflect on the goals I have reached and to examine where I have fallen short of my expectations.
My family is my top priority. If I had to choose between making a direct impact in the world or making the highest impact on my family, I would choose my family. So when my kids start acting out because I am working during family time, it makes me question my behavior.
I am blessed to have a schedule where I can wake up when I want. In the morning I take care of my kids while my wife takes care of my technical work and works out, then we switch. On most days I put my kids down for nap and to sleep at night. Even then I am often working on my computer.
I am extremely grateful to work from home and to have my wife as a business partner. I love the work we do. We empower others to share their gifts with the world. There is no other job I would rather do, but nothing in the world beats being a father and a husband.
It would be easy for me to say that working hard to make a living to care for my family is responsible behavior, but I believe in abundance. I do not believe we have to sacrifice time with family to create prosperity and make a difference in the lives of others. I believe we can have a balanced lifestyle that allows us to do work that we love and spend quality time with our family.
Living with integrity is important to me. I do not want to preach one thing and practice another. Since leaving my J.O.B. a year ago I have found myself out of alignment with my values more than once. I don’t want to schedule my family around my work. I want to schedule my work around my family. If I have to sacrifice my priorities to be successful, am I really successful?
Professionally, I have accomplished a great deal in one year. I have met, interviewed and even partnered with many of my greatest heroes and other outstanding individuals. I am extremely honored that you and nearly 4000 others have joined my community. My clients are amazing visionaries who want to make the world a better place.
I have also made great strides personally. In June I moved my family from Florida where I lived for 23 years to Ohio, so our three year old twins could be near family. I am healthier than I have ever been. With help from my wife, I now have the courage to honestly evaluate my priorities and identify discrepancies in my behavior. I am committed to being more conscious of balancing my work and family.
It has been a phenomenal year and the journey is just beginning. Thank your for sharing this incredible adventure with me.
What can you do to create more balance?
Schedule your time. Be sure to budget time for your highest priorities like, family fun and personal development.
Hold yourself accountable. Keep track of your time commitments.
Reward yourself for keeping your commitments. Set a prize to reinforce your habit of using your time as you planned.