Symptoms:
Recently, nothing stung Darren more than when his wife pointed out that he failed yet again at his promised to be home for dinner. And, tonight he knew that he wouldn't make it to dinner again. His two kids were at the ages where they always seemed to be headed from one practice or another, and his wife Jessica was feeling often deserted when she asked Darren for help with all the driving around town. “Work/life balance” meant nothing more than disappointment to Darren as his boss just kept the pressure on by asking for more sales every month. Darren could see his future was bright at his employer, but at what cost? Jessica only knew her husband kept promising to be home for dinner, but just never knew which day he would actually be seated at the table with the family.
Diagnosis:
Darren felt trapped by circumstances he couldn't control, at least not as he perceived things. A successful career meant making choices, and he understood that sometimes there would be little he could do about some of the work demands. But now that work seemed to have crept into more and more of his personal time and he started to ask himself what he cared about most. As he entered the work force right out of college, he saw nothing but bright lights and big dollars in his future, but now he was wondering if he had failed to consider the cost of this career path.
As his frustration built, he stopped to think about how this happened to him. Being so focused on the short term, Darren never took the time to consider what the future would be like as he advanced his career. No doubt his wife didn't like the way the future looked for the family and they both knew that something had to give, and it had to happen soon.
Prescription:
Not having a clear idea of what life should be like "if it all works out" can create struggles for anyone when things don't go as expected. Darren and Jessica did what most people do by not taking time to plan and commit to creating the future they both wanted to share together. To avoid this situation, you must take the time to create a personal vision of success so that you can make decisions that make sense for both the short- and the long-term dream. With a passionate commitment to that dream, it becomes easier to do whatever it takes to make it come true. Too many people want to blame their employer for a less than satisfactory work/life balance. But it’s an excuse for failing to take personal responsibility for where they end up. If we want a better work/life balance, then we must work smarter (not harder).
Critical Thinking:
Do you have clear expectations set for yourself on what you want life to be like?Even more, have you shared them with anyone to help you figure out how to achieve your goals?
Final Thought for the Morning:
An old proverb warns: “If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
But perhaps a better concept to practice is the idea from Steve Jobs: "The best way to predict the future is to create it."
Your Top 3 Goals & Tactics for the Week
LAST WEEK: Update us on how things went last week with your stated Goals and GD Tactics.
THIS WEEK: Please share your Top 3 Goals for this week and the GD tactics you plan to deploy.
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