I’m re-reading the book “The Obstacle Is The Way” by Ryan Holiday. It seemed fitting, given all the craziness and uncertainty in the world right now.

There is a chapter about persistence, and I wanted to share a few lines that spoke to me:

“Genius often really is just persistence in disguise.”

“The thing standing in your way isn’t going anywhere.”

“A new path is, by definition, uncleared. Only with persistence and time can we cut away debris and remove impediments.”

“It’s supposed to be hard. Your first attempts aren’t going to work. It’s going to take a lot out of you-but energy is an asset we can always find more of. It’s a renewable resource.”

“Stop looking for an epiphany and start looking for weak points.”

“It’s okay to be discouraged. It’s not okay to quit. To know you want to quit but to plant your feet and keep inching closer until you take the impenetrable fortress you’ve decided to lay siege to in your own life; that’s persistence.”

There is a lot of wisdom packed into those words.

I’ve highlighted and underlined them in my book, so I can revisit them when I’m feeling discouraged.

We must practice persistence. We can change course, but we cannot quit. Quitting is not an option. If that means working twice as hard, so be it. Lay siege to the obstacles in your way.

My wife and I work about 10 feet away from each other. Amanda’s office/workspace tends to be the kitchen counter. She doesn’t need much space, just a laptop, phone, and a notebook.

I work at a desk with not far away, and we spend the majority of our day in these two spots. We’ve worked in close proximity to each other off and on for the last 20 years.

Many of our friend’s shutter at the thought of working next to their spouse day after day after day.

We’ve never had a problem with it. We are both hard workers, so we just do what we do, and we respect each other’s time and work, so if we have a phone call or need to record a video, we go out of the room, so noise doesn’t distract or annoy the other one.

It’s easy, comfortable, and convenient.
I can be at work within 3 mins of waking.

Having kids at home is a different story. Amanda handles this better than I do. Mostly because she is more realistic about her expectations of what she can complete each day while the kids are there.

She will tell them when she will be available to play or help them with something, and she follows through with it.

I often struggle with placing too high of expectations on our kids to entertain, educate, feed themselves, and get along while I’m working.

We don’t let the kids be on screens all day (which would make things easier), but that choice typically means more interaction with them, and therefore readjusting my work schedule.

I am enjoying the extra time with our daughters. But I am getting up a bit earlier to accomplish few more things on my list.

The key to working from home is to find a rhythm that works for you and those around you.

We’ve been fortunate to have traveled quite extensively as a family, and during those trips, Amanda and I still work. So with every hotel, apartment, or home we stay at, it requires us to figure out a rhythm for us to co-exist.

It’s less about work/life balance, but rather, work/life integration or harmony. We are in too close proximity to expect to not be impacted by each other’s presence, so instead, we figure out how to function together.

It will take practice and constant readjusting but talking with all family members about scheduled work times, free times, meals, things you need help with, things they want to do, etc., will make a huge difference. Just remember to adopt reasonable expectations for everyone, this helps to minimize frustration.

Working from home can be a blessing for you and your family, you just need to find and embrace a rhythm.

Mark Twain said, “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

What is that thing you’ve been putting off waiting for better timing?
Are you thinking that you will get started when you have more time?

We get ahead by getting started.
We take the first step and then another.

Whether it is writing a book or starting a new business venture, there is always going to be plenty of rational reasons why you should old off starting. Which is how we get stuck.

We get unstuck by getting started.

​

This is a concept my wife and I have been working for many years, although we didn’t really know what to call it.

Work/Life Balance is something we tried and often failed at because we are both so driven and hardworking that as a married couple with kids, it can easily turn into a fight for time.

We’ve seen many marriages disintegrate after they had kids because the fight for time can eventually turn into resentment, which is a very toxic ingredient for any marriage.

Work/Life integration or harmony is about finding ways to include your important life stuff with your important work stuff.

For instance, we leveraged Amanda’s writing career to include books about traveling the world with our kids, which gave us an excuse and purpose to travel overseas with our family every year. We also launched a charitable giving organization, and from the start, we wanted my kids to help us run the events for them, so they could be a part of it.

On a smaller scale, finding time to exercise and spend time with the family can tricky when you have a lot to work to do, so we’ve tried many ways of exercising with our kids. Yesterday we all (tried) to play tennis at a park around the corner, and the day before, we walked to the ballfield and practiced softball together.

We are far from figuring out all the riddles to Work/Life Integration, but now that kids are out of school and Amanda and I are both working from home, we are getting a lot of practice.

Talking with your kids about you’re work and why it’s important helps them understand your need to have focused time on your work.

Same goes with your spouse, if you are both communicating about what is stressing you out and discuss ways to help each other, then there is going to be a lot less frustration and flare-ups at home.

If you are finding yourself struggling to find balance, you might find some success if you look for more ways you can integrate versus trying to balance it all.

Happy Integrating!

The ripple effects happening across the globe now are unprecedented. Today many parents are figuring out what to do with their kids; business owners are wondering how to navigate this severe and sudden change, jobs that once seemed secure are questionable.

This virus is attacking more than just our health, as many don’t know when their next paycheck will come in and are watching their reserves get depleted.

I keep seeing ripple effects from this crisis, and they are just beginning. I know many people are still processing what is happening, but I can’t help to view it with an analytical perspective and the more I do, the more concerns I have.

Fear has a tendency to make us want to put our head in the sand and hope what threat is out there will pass soon. But by not addressing your fears, they will likely grow and get worse.

This morning I worked on a daily agenda for my kids who found out last night they have no school for the rest of the month.

Amanda and I work from home, so having kids here puts a significant strain on our business. This was my biggest fear initially when I heard they were closing the schools.

My fears and concerns are not about these next few weeks, it’s more if these few weeks turn into many months.

This daily agenda will keep them busier and give Amanda and me periods we can work with fewer interruptions.

I also fear the potential financial impacts this virus crisis will have on our business ventures. The impacts can already be seen and felt. But this weekend, I brainstormed different things I could do during this time to help protect and shield us from getting hurt financially by these recent events. This exercise had an immediate impact on calming my nerves.

It’s going to take a lot of work to minimize and avoid the challenges coming towards us, but that work is what will help keep fear from getting the better of us.

I suggest addressing your fears. Write them down. What are you worried about?

Then take actions to minimize or protect yourself from those threats.

In these times of uncertainty, being proactive in addressing our concerns and fears is our best recourse.

Stay safe, control what you can control, and stay proactive.

​