The 1 Life Lesson I’ll Never Forget

When my first son turned 3 months old, I learned a life lesson I’ll never forget.

I was leading a stem cell clinic, and frustrated since no matter how much I tried, there always was more work to be done. Trips, conferences, patients… My schedule was always full and I could not spend the time I wanted with my wife and my son. I’d be miserable at work since I wanted to be with them, but then I’d go home and feel guilty about everything that was pending at work!

Until one day, I spoke to my mentor who asked me an important question:

“What is the most important thing for you, in your life, right now?”

“My family, of course.” I said almost immediately.

“Then you need to put your family in your schedule first. Everything else needs to fit in the remaining time slots.” He continued. “You see, the problem is thinking we’ll give our family all the time we are not at work. But if you don’t protect the time of what’s most important, work will eat it up.”

At first, I had a hard time hearing it, but as time went on, those words continued to stick with me. And to this day, I think about them often.

So, if you find yourself frustrated you’re not spending enough time with what’s most important to you, just remember:

Put your family in your schedule first. Everything else needs to fit in the remaining time slots.