As small business owners, there is almost never enough
time in the day. There are emails, callbacks, articles,
more emails, out calls, inventory, etc, etc. No matter
the market, our days tend to be filled with WORK - lots
and lots of work! Add to that the amount of stress that
goes along with making sure everything is running
correctly, the constant socializing of one form or
another (face to face, social media, etc) at the end of
our days, all we really want to do is sleep...maybe after
a strong drink or glass of wine. It’s rough, and can wear
down even the toughest of us from time to time. We
spend so much energy on our businesses in our pursuit
of success that we forget to save some for the people
and things we say we do it for. This can lead to obvious
failures in other areas of your life.
suffering, as we were not taking time out for much of
anything other than work.
Luckily, after one obviously stupid fight, we both
decided that we needed to start reminding ourselves
daily “Who we do it for.” See, we didn’t go into business
for ourselves, so we could end up tearing each other
apart, or not having quality time to spend with our
kids, to be so stressed out that we did not take time to
appreciate the things God had already provided us, or
to separate and raise children in separate households.
Yes, we wanted success, but at what cost? Was it worth
losing our family? Therefore, we recommitted ourselves
to making sure that no matter how the day went,
when we called it quits, we were done for the day. No
more talking about or even mentioning anything work
Remember Who You
Do It For
- Stephen C. hogan
I remember when my wife and I first set out to be “self
made.” We were energetic, excited, passionate, driven,
fully focused on being a success, creating a better
life for ourselves and our family, and leaving behind
a legacy of which we could be proud. Knowing we
both had what it took, all it required was for us to go
for it, and we did! One hundred percent, twenty-four
seven, day in and day out, work, work, work, work,
work! Socialize, network, problem solve, socialize,
network, problem solve, repeatedly and, slowly but
surely, we began to progress. However, it was what
we were not seeing that was going to cause the largest
problems. While we were busy working ourselves to
the bone, our business life began to bleed over into
our personal. Disagreements about one thing quickly
became arguments about totally unrelated issues that
were usually personal in nature. The stress of work was
starting to carry over into our personal lives making
it not only harder to get work done, but have quality
personal time as well. We were edgy and irritable,
and even on a spiritual level, declining in happiness
and satisfaction. YES, our relationship with God was
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related. It was our time, to enjoy one another and our
family. Currently my wife is subjecting me to Devious
Maids. I’m not a huge TV guy, but the writing is not
that bad, but for her, well, I’ll tough it out.
Look, me saying that maintaining your relationships
are just as important as maintaining your business
would be an understatement. It’s potentially MORE
important as I would rather my business fail, than
my relationship with my wife. However, whether it’s
your relationship with someone else, God, or just
yourself, it is vital that you take the time to show your
appreciation for them.
Every day, no matter how simple, do something to
show that the relationships you have, are appreciated
and special to you. Every day, remember who you do it
for...
-Stephen Hogan is an entrepreneur and visionary
aspiring to assist others in their aspiring fields.