A lot of times when we are grownups we work just to work.
We work on weekends and late nights so we can get the job done.
Sometimes I know that this is required. Heck here it is Saturday morning and I was up at 5 am so I could drop a truck off for training 45 min away from the house by 7 for a CDL trainer. All the while knowing that I will be working late tonight until about 8 pm just to finish the day.
But this isn’t the norm for me anymore.
A day like today is few and far between.
I do my best to shut my computer down by no later than 4:30 unless the kids and my wife are out of the house running around for activities. Then I work until they get home and bust out the good stuff.
The thing is that I try my best not to just work.
When you manage a business or run your own you can work as much you want to. Sometimes we feel that we need to work more.
Heck, the first 2 years of my business I actually felt guilty when I would stop in the middle of the day to eat lunch with my family. Or when I would stop early to help my kids with one of their projects.
Now it’s part of my routine. The fact that there is no routine.
Most days I get up early, (4 am or earlier) and bust it out for a couple of hours. Then have breakfast with the family before they start their day. Then I go back and work more. And try my best to shut down early in the afternoon so that I can spend some much-needed time with my wife and family. I also always try to read to my kids every night. Before bed and we always PRAY before they go to bed.
I have set boundaries in life that makes God and my family the first priority.
It hasn’t always been this way though.
There were times when I would get up at 4 am and work until 10 pm and only stop for a quick meal. Go to bed exhausted, get up and do it all again the next day. 6 – 7 days a week.
I was watching life pass me by.
One of the biggest questions I get right now is, “Dan, how do you travel so much.” You were just in Florida, then I saw you in northern CA, and it was like yesterday you were in Moab, UT.” Oh yeah the other question is, “where is your next adventure.”
My favorite answer to the latter question is, we’ve been home for like a month now its been amazing. We might try this for a while. Lol.
The truth is that when we travel I still work. I get up early and work while everyone else sleeps. My wife sits in the passenger seat and dictates text messages and emails when someone has an emergency. To be honest, if you ever get a text or email that has no typos in it, most likely she sent it. Lol.
What we have found is that when we travel it brings us closer together as a family. We fight less and get along better.
As a couple we grow closer together, and closer to God. Which is our main purpose in life is to be closer to God and live our lives through him.
We found that when I was working just to work, nothing was really getting done. I mean we were putting out a ton of fires, but we weren’t really making massive progress in any part of our life.
When we took a deep breath, slowed down, and started living life for God and putting our family first. Life changed drastically.
More was accomplished every day, we made more money, the business did better, and most important we were happier.
I still have to remind myself every day, Dan you are a man of God, a father that is there for his children, and a husband that every woman would love to have. By telling myself this it doesn’t mean that I am arrogant, it means that is the man I am trying to be.
You should know that I FAIL every day! But when I fail I know that is the First Attempt In Learning.
God is good and he keeps me on track. When I start to stumble he is there with an outstretched hand to help me back up. I am so grateful for that.
Today I am going to task you with not working. Take a few seconds and write a paragraph about the person you want to be. Then put that paragraph as a reminder in your calendar every day so you look at it, read it, and know that you are on the right path to success.
Here is what mine looks like.
I am the person that when others see my life and my actions, they don’t think of me but instead think of how I am living the life God needs me to live. I don’t swear or hurt others by putting them down. And I always do my best to never talk about anyone behind their back unless it is to lift them up. God comes first, and I know that by putting him first my wife and kids will know that they are the highest priority of my life. Money doesn’t matter, God will provide enough. And when he blesses us with extra we will find ways to give back to others who NEED it, not the beggars of the world but the humble. Our company is the company that EVERYONE would love to work for. It is a place where God is talked about and praised for our wins because we know that every win we have is his win too. I am a believer, the husband that every woman would love to have, the father that every kid dreams of, the employer that every employee wants to work for, and the mentor that people who what to grow come to for advice and wisdom.
