Sunday, August 10, 2008

Focus and determination

There is no event that I know of that is as motivating as the Olympics. The sheer determination and focus of these athletes is to be commended. Their days are filled with concentration and with many hours of solitude perfecting their techniques and craft. Although I am completely out of shape and would most likely drown or have a heart attack attempting a 100 meter anything, I can sometimes relate to this feeling. As a business owner and entrepreneur, you must possess similar qualities to succeed and excel. Long days spent building my company from nothing at all took a huge amount of focus and determination.

I have been told (in a negative way I might add) that I am a workaholic. Well, what about these champions I am watching tonight. Their days are absolutely consumed in proper diet and nutrition, exercise, practice, press conferences, endorsements, and focus. 16 to 18 hour days of extreme determination and focus. Could they be labled as "workaholics"? In many ways, I feel that this is just perception. It takes hard work to be a champion at anything! Yes, balance is important, but having a strong focus and drive is quite healthy.

I look forward to passing these traits onto my daughter. I have no choice but to focus on how important it is for my daughter to receive only the most positive traits from her mother and I, even though we are not under one roof. She will gain access to the best in both of us, both of our polar opposite qualities. As I see it, that's ok. At this point, it has to be OK.

I never intended this blog to be a platform for rants about my ongoing divorce. I have been tempted many times recently. If there is anything I have learned in the last 2 years or so, its that you are ultimately responsible for your own happiness. Sounds rather simple, but its huge. You also can't change the way someone feels. I guess its time for me to focus now. Focus on my happiness and future and being the best father I can be.

Creating an advance schedule that works for both her mother and I has recently been the biggest challenge. Chaotic as my schedule is, I feel I am doing the best I can. Sometimes the best I can do is seemingly not enough however. I am in the family of a huge group of separated fathers out there.......doctors on call, fireman, regional sales executives, pilots, red cross workers, entertainers....all with similar challenges. I have to remind myself that it is not all about me. There are aggravations on both sides of the fence......no one said this was going to be easy. This is a challenge that I must continue to embrace with great determination. I can only hope that time will eventually settle all ill feelings and create a positive environment during these exchanges for us to raise our wonderful daughter in. She deserves that!

Now, back to the real purpose of this blog, to continue to develop my photo and image skills. I will try to keep the personal rants to a minimum, or else start another blog! My experience in travel will continue to be fair game however!

Aaannnnn cut! Rants over. We got it. That's a wrap!


1 comment:

Steve LaRose said...

I agree Mike... watching the Olympians is inspiring.
I also believe that most people don't get what it is like to love what you do. That makes the line between motivated and work-a-holic pretty thin for us. It is a labor of love that drives us to see what we can achieve, and loving the people that you are working around just changes the entire thing into something special!