Focus on Family for Success

It is difficult to be happy when everything is out of order. The house is a mess, life is hectic and days are flying by. We try to GET ORGANIZED and SET PRIORITIES but we don’t know where to start. So I ask you this. What is your main objective? I am sure your answer is some form of “a happy and healthy family.” And if so, you answered your own question. The only way to get the happiness and success in life that you desire is to focus first on family.

That sounds great except for two things
• Your boss doesn’t take “No” for an answer and there is always the chance that your job won’t be there for you if do not treat it right.
• Your family DOES take “No” for an answer and regardless how much you put them on the back burner, they will still be there for you. Waiting.

Now doesn’t that sound sad? Now I am not naïve enough to say that you should necessarily ease up at work or tell your boss to shove it for being demanding. That would make me a hypocrite. But what I do suggest is to make just one change on your daily to do list as well as your long term goal. Put your family in your number one slot.

Although there is a good chance that stepping back for a minute and reviewing your routine would provide opportunities to shift things around and make more balance, that is a more advanced step. What we are talking about right now is much more simple, one step strategy. The importance of everyone, regardless of work status or time spent at home, to start each day doing something nice for or with their family. Whether it be waking up fifteen minutes early to make pancakes and strawberries for breakfast or turning your phone off until everyone is off to school. These are small things that make a big impact on our families and send them off for the day feeling good. For you, the simple act of thinking of your family first thing when you wake up will set the pace for the day and keep family at the front of your mind as you make your choices throughout the day.

I just recently started doing this myself, inspired by an interview I saw with Dr. Wayne Dyer who starts each day with an act of kindness. I was blown away. Hubby has a commute gets up for work at 2 or 3 in the morning, depending on the day. So I made a habit of setting the coffee timer at night and setting a pretty table for him in the morning with his cereal bowl and variety of cereals before him. It sounds silly but it makes him happy in the morning and less lonely feeling at that hour. I have been struggling to come up with kind and loving things to say or do when I wake my kids up in the morning but beyond heart shaped pancakes and strawberries I seem to be stumped!

Anybody have any ideas?!