Last week I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and well-known author, Stephen Biddulph on "Raising Boys". As I have an 11 year old son, I was interested to hear what Stephen had to say. In fact, so were the other 800 other parents in the room!
The key point that I picked up on was that boys from the age of 6 -14 really need 'time' with their dads. That is the most influential period in their lives when they bond with him. And the type of time they need is not all thrown into a once a week or month block or some exotic holiday once a year, they need to spend time with their sons on a regular basis. Otherwise how can you build a strong and stable relationship?
For the single mums reading this, don't despair. If you are estranged from your partner and bringing up your son is your responsibility, having a positive male role model in his life ie. uncle, brother, grandfather teacher, tennis coach etc. will work as well.
What's happening in our society in the chase for the almighty dollar and in many instances the big ego, our relationships are breaking down. People are totally dominated by their work and have little energy to invest in themselves and their families.
Planning Personal Time
It's very interesting to note that every client I have coached ? male or female, whether they are the business owner, director, executive or whatever title they hold, all have the same common goal... they want more time for their personal life.
They do not want to start work at 7.30 a.m. and return home at 7.00 p.m. They are committed and enjoy what they do, however they are not prepared to sacrifice their own relationships and wellbeing anymore. THE PRICE IS NOT WORTH IT!
You Can Turn Your Life Around
And do you know what the three key things you need to do to turn your life around? Learn to say 'no', how to manage your time and then take action.
That's right. Everyone tells you how busy and how little time they have, yet most people do nothing to learn the skills that will have a dramatic impact on their work and personal lives.
You have to plan time to get things done. Do you want to spend more time with your family? Do you know how to plan for it? How much time do you spend working? How much time do you invest in yourself to learn how to be more effective? Are you hoping that one day, work will ease off and then you can spend more time with your family? Do you really need a bigger house, nicer car or overseas holiday? Will that improve your relationships? Do you think that you'll (hopefully) stumble on the secrets to getting more time back in your life? If that's the way you live your life, your kids will probably be all grown up and not really need you.
Cats in the Cradle
For those of you old enough to remember, Cat Stevens recorded a song called "Cats in the Cradle". It was about a young boy whose Dad was always busy working. He never seemed to be available when his son wanted to be with him. Over the years this continued until the boy became an adult. By then his Dad had retired and had time on his hands, however his son had now become too busy to see his Dad. He too was working and had kids. The tables had turned. All of a sudden the Dad realised what he had done. He was too busy caught up in his work and missed out on his son growing up.
The Final Word
For those of you who have managed to maintain a good balance in your life, congratulations. No doubt you are happier, healthier and more fulfilled. For the rest of you who are unhappy, unhealthy and unfulfilled, then you need to take action if you are serious about wanting to make changes. Do it, because nothing changes if nothing changes!
Have a great week!
Lorraine Pirihi
PS: I highly recommend you invest in Stephen Biddulph's best-selling book "Manhood". A must for men and women.
It's available from major bookstores.
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist, Leading Life Coach and a dynamic presenter. She runs her own business The Office Organiser specialising in working with Small Business Owners and Managers helping them to dramatically improve their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess and have more time for living life!
With a Bachelor of Experience, a PHD in Commonsense and a Masters in Results, Lorraine is Australia's expert on how to get organized at work so you can have a life too!
Book Lorraine today for your next event. It will be the best investment of your time and money you ever make!
Tel: (+613)9532 5497, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
rental limo Atlanta .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareAll requests are not equal; all customers or clients are... Read More
Tring ? Tring the alarm rings?but did you fail to... Read More
?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me... Read More
This is one more article on "Organizing and Enjoying Your... Read More
As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
There are so many books on Time Management published every... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
Many of the world's most driven and successful people sleep... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
A year and a half ago I was introduced to... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More
The biggest time management mistake you can ever make is... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More
What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More
I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More
Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the... Read More
Bedford Park taxi to Midway ..PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More
I have a habit of sending a thank you letter... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
The techies could do a lot more to make our... Read More
Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of... Read More
All requests are not equal; all customers or clients are... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and... Read More
Time is money in your online business, just as in... Read More
Recently I saw an advertisement for a time management booklet:... Read More
1. Do tasks less frequentlyClean house every 10 days rather... Read More
There are so many books on Time Management published every... Read More
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More
Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
When a good friend asked me to contribute a little... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
People always seem to be in such a hurry, everywhere... Read More
Not 1 in 10 people can tell you where money... Read More
As a business owner, wouldn't it be great if you... Read More
Time Management |