Do you ever wonder if you’re truly happy? Would you know if you weren’t? Well, I thought I was. I was growing a business, beyond what I thought possible. I was, or at least I hoped I was, treating my employees with the respect and kindness they deserved. I had programs in place to help them along their life’s journey. I was focused on them leaving me better off than when they joined me. Best of all, I had a BEAUTIFUL family waiting for me when I returned home from my travels. I had, I had, I had…
Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Let me tell you, it was! But – don’t you just hate that there’s always a “but” – I never realized just how much I was sacrificing, how oblivious I was to all that I was missing out on. My wife supported me in all that I did. Instead of showing her the gratitude she deserved, I took that as a green light to just keep going. I stretched that support as faaaar as I could.
Thankfully, I was a GREAT dad…or so I thought. I mean I was there for all the big events. But – dammit, there it is again – was I really “present” or was I just “there”? Where was my head during those moments? Was my attention on my children, my family; or was at the office? Was it playing reruns of my day, or looking into the future?
Here’s what I’ve learned; I showed my business everyday just how vital it was to me, through where I placed my focus, gave my time and attention, showed my patience and love. I wish I would have done the same for the people that were most vital to me.
Above all the responsibilities of your career, the demands of your business, the pursuit of your mission, keep this in mind; if you're married you're in a partnership with someone that relies on you. If you're a parent you are raising the next generation of fathers, mothers, workers, leaders. Ask yourself these questions: What are they seeing? How are you showing them the proper way to live? What are they seeing as your priorities? Are you treating them like they’re vital…and/or…are being vital to them?