Thursday, April 3, 2008

Post 268: Don't Neglect Your Family

Hard to believe I've produced 267 blog posts to date since starting last June... but like all things in life, we can accomplish much by taking small steps one after the other. As they say "the journey of a thousand miles..."

Although the themes vary, much of the content has been produced in an effort to help others in their careers as they pursue their dreams. Having said this, however, I know that one important message has been neglected and this is a brief reminder. Do not neglect your family. You want to write books, make great art, change the world... go for it. But do not sacrifice the foundation that makes it possible. If you turn your back on loved ones to make a name for yourself, who will be there when you crash and burn? Failure is part of life, but let that failure be a project you were working on, not a marriage. Not your children.

Peter Lynch, famed fund manager of the Magellan Fund, in one of his books includes the telling statement that his seven days a week commitment to Wall Street success resulted in his missing out in two or three years of his daughters' lives, in the critical early teens. He warned that he can never re-do that decision or get back what he lost there.

PHOTO CAPTION: My wife Susie, one of the secrets of my success.

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