How old are you? by Steve Anderson

In tough times like these it helps to laugh. I can remember one time I was reading my daughter, Molly, a story in bed. She was a really cuddly kid. As we lay there on her bed, I got all choked up because I felt so lucky to be her father. After I gathered myself, I said, "Molly, one day when you grow up and move away I'm really going to miss these times."

She paused for a moment and said, "Oh, don't worry Dad." I thought that the next thing that she was going to say was that she would come home and visit me after she moved away, so I said, "Why?" And she said in the sweetest voice you can imagine, "You'll be dead!" I died laughing.

Balance by Steve Anderson

A lot of people say that their family is the most important thing to them, but then they spend all of their time at the office. When asked why, they often reply, "My job is to provide for them." But if you asked their family what they wanted them to provide, it would be more time and more love. Why do people so often act in ways inconsistent with their values that creates imbalance and unsustainability?

I would argue that most people who struggle with balance do so for two reasons:

1. They haven't taken the time to sit down and determine their priorities and compare their behavior with their values.
2. In the absence of a plan they react to the fear of losing their job.

We can never create the life we dream about unless we build it around a plan we can get excited about. I urge you to take the time to decide the things that really matter to you and regularly commit yourself to building your life around those values.