Again I use the power of 20/20 hindsight and gaze into my crystal ball and see another lesson.
20/20 Hindsight lesson #3: Don’t become so focused on your marriage/family that you have nothing else!
A lot of guys are hard driven at work and ignore their families. Some throw themselves into their hobbies at their wives and children’s expense. Like most everything else I chose to do this the reverse of most other people too! I threw myself into trying to build my marriage instead. To be honest, I do not regret that, I don’t think I would change that aspect much if at all. I believe wholeheartedly in putting marriage and family before money and work. But that is just me I suppose.
However, and this may sound contradictory after my last comments, but I do regret casting aside my hobbies for my marriage and family. Once again I feel I should explain! By casting aside my hobbies for what I thought was the good of my marriage and family I actually hurt those very same things! Not only did I not have my normal pursuits and joys and releases from the stresses of life but I also denied myself and my family an opportunity to grow together by sharing with them something I truly enjoyed. This also tended to cut me off from my friends and from making new friends thus, once again not letting my children see their father interact with other adults outside their immediate family.
These and so many other intangible “benefits” were lost because of that decision that I thought at the time I was making in my families best interests!
Ok, guys, see ya later,
Russ
