I admire my brother, John, very much for his extraordinary dedication to training when it comes to competing in the grueling IronMan – a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run – all in one day. He completed three of them in his 30s - an amazing feat in itself. He once told me that when he attended a meeting of the regional triathlon club he was involved in, the guest speaker opened his lecture with, “How many of you are still married?” John noted that there weren’t a whole lot of people in the crowd who raised their hands.
The same question can be asked of you as small business owners and enterprising individuals who slave and sacrifice to meet the demands of your business. You may not be ready to divvy up responsibilities to other employees or you may be physically at home with your family, but not really. You are still chained to the laptop and cell phone.
But priorities still need to be kept in check. My brother amazingly enough discovered balance while training for the huge event. He participated in zillions of triathlons while preparing for the big day so his wife and three children would come and support him. He would rise at the crack of dawn to fit in workouts to be home in time for breakfast with the kids. He would also make time to be with his family for dinner (and dishes) at night as well. He was able to separate his training life from his home life.
So how about you? What advice would you give to small business owners with families just starting out? How do you balance your dedication to your business with your devotion to your family?
In a former life, I worked with a woman who accidentally sent an email ABOUT her boss TO her boss. Oops! I hate when that happens. It’s a good thing she didn’t say anything too incriminating.
