Which should come first - your business or your family?
By catchre
@catchre (396)
Philippines
January 7, 2007 9:22am CST
You might be thinking, "Isn't it obvious? Of course, family SHOULD be the top priority!" I also agree but I - like many other entrepreneurs whose business is their bread and butter - am constantly exposed to guilt over the time less spent with our families. Well, here's the dilemma. My business which is only 10 months old suffered a bit of a lag. So naturally, I concentrated on fixing the areas that needed to be modified. Consequently, I was too exhausted during the holidays and missed spending the New Year with my family. My point is I cannot waste time doing all the travelling when I am pressured at fixing my business. It is my bread and butter because I quit working for other people to focus on my business. I don't have a monthly salary. If I don't focus on my business, then everything else will fall apart. I would miss paying the rent, the utility bills, my daily expenses for food, etc. I don't have any fallback when I fail to straighten out my goals. My clients need me to assist them, I need to make sales, I need to develop my business so that it'll grow. Does this make sense to you? I mean, I have enough problems as it is and I can no longer handle the additional stress my family gives me. They keep on anatagonizing my wish to be successful at what I'm doing. They keep on telling me that I should find time to be with them...that I'm just playing busy when in fact I can visit them anytime I wish or anytime they demand because I am just running a home-based business and not bound by any office hours. And they think up all crazy stuff to manipulate me and make me feel guilty. How do I make them understand that my business needs more attention? How can I explain this to my mom and my sister?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@recidivist20 (348)
• Philippines
10 Jan 07
I understand your problem and let me share with you my take on this...
My parents came from a poor family and it was thru their own hardwork that they "got out" of that class level. Just consider that when before they were in the province living in houses that were not concrete, studying in the morning and working at night to get themselves through, now we have a relatively spacious house with a yard, a couple of automobiles, savings, and some investments. My parents were able to achieve that but not without going through the predicament you have posted here.
Then again, consider the situation of families who were on the same level as my parents were before, but they were thinking they want to satisfy the "need" of their family to be together physically. It is (just) my assumption that that (un)enforced restriction that limited their earning capacity and so they really didn't make it far from their initial financial state.
And now, the kids weren't able to pursue further studies, or engage in more productive endeavors because their parents cannot support that. I encounter people who have this regret, though not openly said, that if only their parents strived harder then they would have a more comfortable life now instead of dog-working until night, sacrficing their time to be with THEIR own families now.
I'm not into encouraging you to spend less time with your family, i'm just painting a picture you may consider in assessing your situation.
