I’m going to take a moment here away from copywriting and the details of effective marketing… To address what’s a common question especially among the younger entrepreneurs and copywriters in my fold…
One of my readers, James, has a kid on the way (congrats!)…
And he figured out I have 3 kids aged 5 and under in the house…
And he was curious…
“I feel like I’m already stretched to the limit, time and stress-wise.”
“How do you managed to juggle building a successful business with having a family and young kids at home?”
James thought it might not be that good of a question to answer in these emails…
But I thought it would be a GREAT one!
Because — for one — it’s my life… And part of these emails is being as transparent as possible about what I’m doing to create a happy and successful life as a copywriter and business owner…
Also — because EVERYBODY who is successful feels like they’re being pulled in a thousand directions and shares James’ feeling of being “stretched to the limit.”
If it’s not kids for you, maybe it’s another family commitment…
An important organization you’re devoting a big part of your life to…
Hobbies you don’t want to get consumed by work…
Whatever!
And some of the same lessons and strategies that work for combining work and family can work for juggling ANY priorities!
Here’s the first thing I told James…
First, I told him that I’ve accepted earning less right now — with a young family at home — than I otherwise would…
I could work 16-hour days, and make WAY more money than I’m making right now. But I don’t. I haven’t made it my priority.
My priority — especially with my kids at a young, formative age — is to be a present parent. To devote a big chunk of time each day to being with my kids.
Sometimes I’m still churning work issues over in my mind when I’m building LEGOs. But I’m there.
As much as possible though, I try to make it QUALITY time, rather than just time.
I try to be there mentally as well as physically, because that’s what’s really critical.
So #1 for you — whether it’s kids or some other priority outside your work life — needs to be to decide what your priorities are… And accept that it’s always a give-and-take.
We all only have 24 hours in a day.
We all want to do more and be more.
But the #1 thing we can do is to choose where we want to spend our time and attention…
And then once we’re there — be present!
That means when I’m having “dad” time, I need to be present as a dad.
When I’m having work time, I need to be present at work.
When you sit in meditation, you just sit. When you write, you just write. When you build your business, you just build your business. When you parent, you just parent. Try to do anything else, and you will experience suffering! This is the secret!
The biggest challenge with this is always accepting that by doing one thing, you’re giving up another! But when you can do that — and agree with yourself to be present for whatever it is you’re doing NOW — you’ll do your best possible job at each thing…
Most people will fail at this!
Sorry! It’s sad, but true.
The reason?
Because we can’t forgive ourselves. We want to be two (or three, or four) places at once. And when we can’t be — even though we KNOW it’s impossible — we’re tough on ourselves.
This is NOT the time to be tough on yourself. This is the time to forgive yourself.
The time to be tough on yourself is when you’re with your family, but not present. Or with your work, but not present. When you’re not paying attention to the NOW.
But if you make sure you set your priorities for where you’ll be — both physically and mentally — and BE THERE, then you’re doing the best you can. And that’s really all we should expect from ourselves or anyone else.
Use this when trying to juggle family and business — or whatever other priorities…
If you can get this down, not only will it make you happier in all the roles you play…
You’ll also feel and be more successful!
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets
