The entire purpose of business is to make money – which isn’t a bad thing. It is the essence of what makes America great and the phrase “land of opportunity”. The ability to start a business of your own choosing and turn it into a way of life is chance not everyone in this world can take. And if you are lucky, like I am, that business is a something that you really enjoy too.
While I find joy in my work, I would say that I am a person who “works to live” rather than “lives to work”. With that said, most people spend 45 to 65 hours per week at work (including commuting and lunch) so we might as well enjoy it!
The way in which I prioritize business is as follows:
#1: God
God has to be the number one priority in my life and I try to let that drive everything I do. God created everything, including you and me. So my abilities to successfully run a business come from Him. He can allow it to succeed or allow it to fail. My life, my passions, my family and my work are for His glory. When I make decisions, I look options through the WWJD lens.
#2: Family
Family takes priority over everything other than God. But part of caring for my family goes hand in hand with work, because I am providing for them financially. For this reason, I have always found prioritizing family vs. work to be a very delicate balance. Some family events are easy to prioritize, such as the birth of a child or attending a funeral. But I feel we also need to be present for our kids for everyday moments too, like a play, an awards banquet or lunch. Being there for my spouse and children means a lot because those gestures show they are a top priority to me.
#3: Work
Even if you’re not running a family business, work is often closely connected with family, as a means to contribute to that unit. In addition to making money, there is also a lot of satisfaction that can come out of accomplishing something at work. It gives me a sense of pride and purpose. Additionally, I believe the interaction that we have with other people at work can help to keep us mentally healthy. Even if you do not have deep friendships at work, it still provides for conversation at home about our work day. How often do we share a funny thing that happened at work that day? How about someone who is driving us crazy? Or what we are worried about?
Whether you too own your own business, or simply wanted to learn more about what (or who) drives me, I hope my own life and business philosophies have helped you in some way. In my next blog I share my recruiting practices – from advertising outlets to my screening process.
