David P.A. Mullings is an investor and serial entrepreneur from Jamaica.
This past February he was rushed to hospital with a medical emergency that could have cost him his life and it has completely changed his approach to business and personal. Here are his five tips for balancing business and personal.
Forget “balance” and Focus On The Center
My father says that balance is the wrong word because it implies a seesaw going back and forth. Instead, he advised that I imagine that family is the Sun and then everything else revolves around it. That is now my focus.
The Success Of Family Is More Important
Most of us entrepreneurs with audacious goals get tunnel vision and focus on the success of our business, making countless sacrifices along the way. While in the hospital, my wife made it clear how much I had sacrificed our marriage and time with my children. This was my wake-up call. A friend, Lonnie Gienger, told me that the success of my family needs to be more important than the success of my business.
Find Good People And Delegate
Being stuck in a hospital for 10 days and then at home for 6 weeks did not cause my business plans to collapse. The world did not crash like I imagined it would as I jetted around to meetings in 2018. Other people took on key tasks and now I realize how much more important competent team members who share your vision, mission and values are.
Think About Legacy
Michael Lee-Chin and I met a number of times this year and he reminded me to focus on a few big dreams, keep my intended legacy in mind and then let that framework guide all my actions. This framework needed to apply to business and personal, my children being the most obvious legacy.
Presence Matters More Than Presents
All this time I was focused on creating wealth for my family and my shareholders, convinced that the money would allow me to take care of my family and give them what I thought they wanted. It turns out that all they want is my presence. This was driven home over drinks with Chris Williams, CEO of a public company in Jamaica who said “your presence matters more than presents” when I asked for advice.
I hope that David’s 5 tips will help you adjust your lifestyle for maximum happiness.