I was once told that just like there are four wheels that helps a car drive smoothly, that there are four wheels to accomplish before one can say that he/she is successful. These wheels are namely:
a. Good family life
b. Good work life
c. Good spiritual life and
d. Good network of friends
Just like in the car, if you have flat type in one wheel, it is difficult for the car to move. If you have two flat tyres, it hedges close to impossible for the car to move. If you get three flat tyres, you consider the journey delayed or cancelled until you can replace the tyres. Then if you have all four tyres flat, regardless that the vehicle has immaculate engine, glitters like Lewis Hamilton's F1 Mercedes-AMG, you are not going anywhere.
What can we then say, can one be able to have a balanced work and family life? How can one achieve this? Some of us struggle with ourselves that we are not doing justice to either been good parent(s) or been that great at work. We find ourselves torn between not spending much time with our Children and spouses and been married to our jobs, specially when we are climbing the ladder of corporate hierarchy.
How do we achieve this? and what did you do to accomplish this feat that befall us as we set out to progress in life?
Posing these questions to a few couples who had children before me they said these:
a. note that those you work for are at home. Your Spouse and your Children are those you set out every day to provide for, when you are aware of that then you may have a different perspective, especially when it come to you spending more hours in the day at work.
b. Make time for your spouse each month - they advised dating each other again, at least once a month, then once a week etc.
c. Spend time with your Children as they will soon leave home. If you do not spend time with them when they are living with you, they may grow up not remembering much of who you are, only what you are to them.
d. Money comes and goes, but memories you make will always be there and sometimes even passed on to the next generation and generations to come, as your Child will, most likely, bring up his/her children the way you brought them up.
