Just saw a Tweet from @MarkMasai on twitter:

"No amount of success at the office can compensate for failure at home-Patrick Morley"

This got me thinking.
I am sure this a familiar discussion, but be kind enough to share your thoughts and if possible, how you manage expectations on both sides. Is it actually possible to succeed in both, or is it a myth? Educate/encourage the young and inexperienced ones please.....

lets face it success at work is great! family life can be a drag however I am yet to see a man on his death bed who asks for his title deeds or patents. younger and better people will show up and do what you do for less! no one will ever be a parent to your children if you don't. A couple of weeks ago I was reading about Jean Paul Getty a billionaire and a miser per excellence. he is quoted as saying

the guy who put a call box on his estate (think of having a call box in your house) - his grand child was kidnapped he immediately thought it was a plan by the grand son to rip him off and he decided not to pay the ransom and later as the story goes he received


I personally try as much as possible to make success at home so that the little success at the 'office' is sustainable.

I luv the book '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Steven Covey. Its becoming one of my guides in alot of things I do.. that and the Bible.

The book asks, What is your life centred on? If its centred on work, then everything else revolves around work, if its family then everything is about family. An example is given.. You had made plans with your family, but your boss calls you and says something urgent has to be done.. What do you do? Other centres are Church, Fun, Enemy/Friend etc

The book wouldn't encourage either of these centres and I agree. Some here have talked about deathbed. In your death bed would you wish you'd spent more time with your family? The Bible says Show me where you spend your time and I will show you your God, show me where you spend your money and I will show you your God. I don't know about you but personally I'd want to know that my life had accounted for something.. that my life had meaning. Take for instance Mother Teresa, do you think she wished that? Madiba?

Steven Covey advocates for a Principle centred life.. complete with your vision and mission statements.
'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl says “Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. "
The Bible say 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you'

Personally I find that in choosing to obey and serve God I'm in SHALOM with my work, my family, my community etc.. and I feel that on my death-bed, I'll be at peace.

Read that book too and to this day, habit #1 (the one on paradigm shift) and #3 (begin with the end in mind) have stuck with me, much more than any of the others.

A wazuan trying to hijack the original thread....