Couch on Fire

Mom, do you want to hear my creative writing story I wrote for school?

Sure!

I was surprised that he even asked. My oldest son generally does not share his homework assignments with me.

He starts to read. One day, my brothers and I were watching TV and my mom was in her room doing an online meeting. All of a sudden, the couch was on fire! We started to yell, “Mom! Mom! The couch is on fire!” She ran out of her room and yelled, “how in the world did the couch catch on fire?!” We said we didn’t know and then she went back into her room to finish her meeting.

Wait, wait. I went back into my room to finish my meeting and I didn’t do anything about the couch on fire? I asked.

No. Because your meetings are really important.

I was floored. My side hustle turned sole proprietor business turned into a reason I would not stop my meeting to put out a fire. From my children’s perspective, my client meetings had become more important than their safety and the safety of their home.

The nature of my business as an instructor required me to meet with other families during dinner times and on weekends – when they were available. On the flip side, that meant I missed many dinners with my family.

As my client list and the team of instructors I managed grew, the ability to do the business when I wanted to was difficult to maneuver. So I continued, believing that I was finally more than just a mom. I was the successful businesswoman I had dreamed of one day becoming.

About a year later at our annual company training, I and our top 11 instructors, led a panel discussion, fielding an open Q&A. Most of their questions skirted around the idea of how do I become a successful instructor like you. At this moment, I knew I had to share Couch on Fire.

After telling them the story, I emphasized this: Business and financial success is fantastic, but not at the expense of your family. Listen to your family’s cues.

About five months later, I resigned. My older sons would both be in middle school. Conversations were maturing and those conversations normally happened around the dinner table. Family dinners now became non-negotiable.

Children bend and flex with the tide of their parents. What once was non-negotiable to you could unintentionally become normal to them, like my frequent absence from the dinner table.

And if you are telling yourself that you are building the business to leave a legacy for them, will they be able to find YOU in the business long after they leave, or will they just find a business?

This time around, my business will meet my family where they are at. Remember last week I said, YOU HAVE TIME. The time with your children is fleeting. You have the rest of your life to work on your business.