Life is one big balancing act. Sometimes its tough to get the balance right.

This past May, after a long deliberation, I finally decided it was time to get my work/life balance in order. I’ve spent years traveling on the road, creating products, making companies and vendors lots of money, and a fairly good living for myself, but at what price?

In April I was in Hong Kong on a business trip, when our beloved, mangy, sweet old Brussels Griffon, George, became very ill. He had been suffering from a heart murmur most of his life and it was getting steadily worse. We knew he had a limited amount of life left, and we were doing all we could to make the best of it. When I left for Asia, George seemed happy and healthy. Unfortunately, he passed away while I was stranded in Hong Kong, thousands of miles away. I was very sad not to be present for him when he passed.  That was when I decided it was time for a change

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I had started Robert Jones Home the year before, just so I could address that work/life balance. Rather than working a full time schedule, commuting to an office daily, and spending too much time away from home I decided to become a consultant. It was a wonderful change. It allowed me to work from home when I didn’t have to travel, and it gave me more control over my time. No more hours wasted sitting on a freeway every day, no more days doing my time in an office. It set me free to do the things I loved most at work while spending time at home on the things that made me most happy.

For many years I had harbored a secret dream of writing, creating a blog, and exploring other creative outlets. Taking the big step to change my life has paid off. Fortunately, I have a partner that supports me in my endeavors, so it made the choice that much easier.

In May, I took it one step further and ended my contract with one of my biggest clients. That was scary stuff, but it allowed me the space and the time to get some distance from the hamster wheel of product development I had been on for the past twenty years. It gave me the opportunity to take a deep breath and think about what things in life actually nourish my soul. It allowed me to hone my sites on what I really wanted out of life.

I’m grateful for that.

Be well.

RJ