Last year 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!
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi, principal of The Office Organiser is Australia's Personal Productivity Coach.
Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. www.office-organiser.com.au, www.office-organiser.com.au
recurring cleaning service Mundelein ..I recently conducted a survey to look at the relationship... Read More
A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and... Read More
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Have a to-do list a mile... Read More
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More
Ever feel overwhelmed by all the papers, notices, artwork, and... Read More
My mother is one of the most productive people I... Read More
I gathered some things you can do this spring while... Read More
Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks... Read More
Digging out from under stacks of paper might seem like... Read More
(This is the second in a series of three articles... Read More
What do you gain if you SIMPLIFY?Dictionary* says:to reduce to... Read More
Coping with clutter is rarely easy. There's more involved than... Read More
Here's a little lesson I experienced while packing boxes for... Read More
What's an item that can help you organize every room... Read More
What stops you from 'getting things done?'Have you ever started... Read More
The store reminded me of a well-worn slipper ? tattered... Read More
Remember when you charged into the office that first day,... Read More
Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant... Read More
It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More
The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More
Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More
For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove... Read More
Parenting is always a challenge, but particularly so if your... Read More
When you embark on a life transition, the skills that... Read More
Studies show that 80 percent of what we use comes... Read More
tidy up service Buffalo Grove ..From time to time I hear this question from an... Read More
Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More
Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make... Read More
1. Sink to their level. Get on your knees in... Read More
It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More
A lot of us grew up with Mom taking care... Read More
Decluttering is a simple-to-learn process, once you break it down... Read More
Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks... Read More
1. Teach your children to use an alarm clock or... Read More
Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic... Read More
I like a room you can dance in the middle... Read More
I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More
There is nothing worse then spending ten minutes looking for... Read More
Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task... Read More
"The real question is, why do you want it? What... Read More
One of the most basic ways to find papers when... Read More
The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More
Getting Things Done (GTD), is a productivity methodology designed by... Read More
Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink ?... Read More
Staying organized can be a constant battle. The following organizing... Read More
When you embark on a life transition, the skills that... Read More
So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't... Read More
Do you ever sit down at your desk buried in... Read More
Take time to declutter this summer...Writing can certainly consume the... Read More
Do you feel like you just get too much e-mail?... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |