Starting a new business requires lots of work. You need to arrange with paperwork, need to get the work done, you need to spread the word and you need to work hard to earn enough money to get things go around. In this process it is very important to keep the priorities right!
I love to work and I really enjoy working with the things I do. I often find myself thinking about work as the first thing in the morning, during the different periods of the day, as I go to bed in the evening and as I wake up in the middle of the night. I strongly believe that work is supposed to be a joy and thus we should be able to work with joy. After all God does not want us to suffer 30-40% of our lifetime (the time we spend working) and then only be able to enjoy the parts outside this.
I sometimes believe that I have the potential to become a workaholic. I am not the only one like this, and it is nothing wrong with enjoying your job and loving what you do. But, it is very important to keep the priorities right.
What is the measure of success?
Some people measure success in money earned or maybe blog visitors. Others measure success in amount of employees and size of company. But, what is the true measure of success? The most important measure of success is whether you are in the plan of God or not. If you live your life without Jesus Christ you can win as many titles as possible, earn hundreds of thousands of Euros a year and win an Oscar statue… but these are nothing compared to the life with Jesus. The first road in your life most lead to the cross where Jesus hung and from there he will send you back into the world. The measure of success thus reflects whether you do what God wants you to do, or not.
Another measure of success is your relationship with your family. Anyone can start a blog and reach success with lots of hard work and investments. But, to live in a happy family and to live in a blessed marriage requires lots of work, all the time. Why is it that about 50% of all marriages end in divorce? We are used to work to earn money, we eat to stay alive, we run in the forest to stay slim and healthy and we work to get success in the different areas of our lives. But, somehow most people believe that family life and marriage works out all by itself. How wrong! You need to prioritize your family and invest time and work making these relationships grow stronger and stronger throughout the years. If I had to decide between a blessed family and a successful business the decision would be easy to make. Luckily I do not have to choose, but both tasks require hard work.
If you are about to start a business then you should also speak it through with your family before starting. Make some rules concerning how much time you would like to spend with your job and when you are to spend time with your family. It is not enough to speak it through before starting. Make sure to keep your word and let your entire family feel how they are more important to you than the business you are about to start. When success come later, do not forget to share the joys with your family and thank them for their patience and support making it possible for you to reach the successes and joys that you do!
Stay healthy!
If you want to enjoy your success for a long time you will need to stay healthy. How you treat your body today will influence the way your body will look and behave tomorrow. In a busy world it is easy to fill our lifes with all kinds of junk and in a busy world where you have tons of work, a family to take care of and other obligations your daily or weekly work out often suffer and is delayed until sometime in the future. Do not cut compromise concerning your health, but eat healthily, do some work out a couple of times a week, go for some walks instead of using the car all the time and play cat and mouse with your children. After all our bodies are given to us by God and we are to take good care of it.
Keep the vision strong!
Before you start your business you need to have a vision and a dream. No matter if you call it a secular or a sacred job, you will need to know that God is in the business and that he has placed you in the position you are in at the moment. Often we have a strong vision, but when the problems of the business world comes against us we can not see out from all of the paper work. You need to fix legal papers, accounting’s, send tons of emails, visit the postal office and take care of clients. Then there are deadlines which needs to be kept and you are buried in your work. Often all these tasks shout with loud voices at you, and in the mess you forget the vision and get buried in the work alone. Do not let the problems of the business world get at you. Keep the vision strong, spend some time every day focusing on why you are doing it and where you are going, and check whether you are headed in the right direction, or not.
Perspective gives us the ability to accurately contrast the large with the small, and the important with the less important. Without it we are lost in a world where all ideas, news, and information look the same. We cannot differentiate, we cannot prioritize, and we cannot make good choices.
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