This week we were given an assignment of two different scenarios where we had to chose which course of action we would take. The first scenario went like this:
"Your daughter is going to have her first dance recital in a few days and you have promised her for months that you wouldn't miss it for the world. An hour before the performance, you receive a phone call from your most valuable client saying that their plant has had a fire and that you were the only person the client was willing to talk to about a solution. Do you continue to attend the recital, or do you assist in the disaster?"
The second scenario (paraphrasing quite a bit) was like this:
"Your dream has always been to be the coach of a basketball team. You've been working really hard and have been spending a lot of time on business trips to try to make this dream a reality for yourself. Finally, you get the opportunity you have always dreamed of: Being the head coach of a college team. At the same time you are given this opportunity, your spouse files for divorce and says that they are taking your child and leaving because you don't spend enough time with them. Which one would you chose?"
These situations are very difficult cases because they question the ethicality of both your family time and the time you put into your business. If I were to decide immediately, my first initial reaction to each scenario would be to focus on the emergency so you don't lose the client or your job and keep following what you've always wanted to do your entire life. But, after thinking about each decision's consequences and outcomes I realized that in the long run family is what matters most.
While businesses and dreams come and go, your family is irreplaceable. Family is eternal, so if we take it for granted we are bound to suffer severe consequences for not making family a priority in our lives. It's a difficult truth, but following your dreams is a very lonely path if you do not have someone you love to participate in that happiness along with you.
What would I have done in each scenario?
First, I would offer the client a chance to meet with someone who's either my right hand man or whom I have complete dependency in. I would send as many people as needed so that my daughter will always know that I made that sacrifice because I love her more than my client.
Second, I wouldn't let my dream get to the point where I would sacrifice my entire family over it. Dreams are wonderful goals to have, and you don't have to be the only one who participates in the happiness that they can bring. Just make sure to let your spouse participate as much as possible and don't neglect them. It is possible to fulfill your dreams when you have a family, just make sure that you don't disregard your family in the process.
All in all, in the long run, focusing on your family brings forth many blessings that we will not receive until we make difficult sacrifices such as these. It is easy to decide what you will do in these situations once your truly know where your focus lies: you business or your family. No man can serve to masters, so once we place our focus where it counts, we must be prepared to handle the sacrifices that will come from placing our focus on what matters most.
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