I’ve been in my own business for a long time, and for a long time I rented space in an office building a few towns south of me. Then, one day, my landlord came by and said, Scott, I know we have a lease, but I have someone who wants to take the whole building and I’d like you to move out as quickly as you can.
After great gnashing of teeth, looking at other possibilities (and the cost), I decided that this was a blessing in disguise. I moved my office home and moved my family into a much bigger slice of my life.
That was roughly 20 years ago and here’s what I’ve learned as a husband and a dad:
- Being home when my kids got up, got on the bus, got off the bus, needed some help or a hug was absolutely worth whatever I traded off.
- The core of being a better dad and a better husband isn’t “quality time”, it’s being there – showing up. My life priorities had become overshadowed by a false allegiance to an outside “office”.
But there’s one issue I still haven’t conquered. It’s decompression. When I worked in Manhattan, I had the time on the train (the bar car). When my office was in Westport I had a drive on country roads (a white knuckler in the snow). And now, when it’s the end of the day, I have 4 steps down and 1 step up to go from business
