Splitting Your Personalities
Life will wear you down if you let it. You can spend so much time working hard for your family to get ahead, that your family gets the worst of you. The tired, grumpy, inattentive, disengaged you.
And nobody wants that.
Think of your life as two distinct personalities. There is a personality that your profession and hustle requires you to be. This personality is important; it requires ingenuity and drive. You use this personality to make money, improve networking, and build opportunities.
Then think about the other personality your life demands, the family personality. Your spouse, your children, your friends need this personality to be understanding and compassionate. They need this personality to be emotionally present, and energetic enough to provide feedback and validation, in the biggest and smallest of life’s occurrences.
You can’t allow the working side of you to drain the side of you that your family relies upon. You can have all of the money and resources in the world, but what benefit would it bring if your family can’t stand to be around you?
One of the smartest things you can do is to know what both sides require of you, and to leave their respective tasks where they belong. You can’t be a good provider if you take family drama into the office or on the work site? Conversely, you can’t deny your home the energy and model of love and compassion if you invest all of your energy outside of the four walls of your house.
It’s not just this way for kids, but for marriages, too. It’s important to talk, to laugh, to share and to listen. There are two of you to go around, just make sure they stay in their respective places.
