I went to lunch today with one of my good friends, Aaron Offshore. I call him that because he always has his money in places like Panama, Nicaragua, or some other foreign countries. He is a very creative Family First Entrepreneur and because of that similarity between us, our relationship has grown. We have gotten so we are able to talk about and relate to the tough stuff.

We laughed over and over in our conversation about the ups and downs of being in business and having your partners be your wife and your kids and all that comes with that. We laughed about how an argument can create an unprofitable day, and how one can have a great new idea only to be met with the look that means “it better not go like it did last time.” The one that really gets me a lot is trying to explain, with respect, to my four year-old that I don’t have time to look at his Lego Bionical while I’m fielding an important business call. That really punches me in the gut because I don’t want him to ever think that I don’t have time for him. I’ve written about this topic before, but I believe that kids spell love T-I-M-E, and I’m hypersensitive to this, which makes some situations in my home-based office challenging.

We also spoke about the reality of how difficult a marriage can be at times. I often find myself feeling alone in my pursuit of a serene marriage and commonly ask if I’m the only one. What I find from others, and Mr. Offshore verified this as well, is that it can get really ugly for everyone at times. I think it is when this reality hits that an uncommitted person thinks divorce would be easier and acts on it. The only difference between me and “that person” is the commitment that I’ve made and the knowledge that time and some effort, toward growth, will heal all. I know that my wife and I both have had times where we were considering divorce. It was the thought of our kids that wouldn’t allow us to even step in that direction, because, luckily for us, time did heal. As a final note, my wife and I, from the beginning, have been actively involved in marriage counseling in order to improve and enhance our relationship, and it sure has been nice to have that in place when things get tough.

Why this blog? I think anyone who has a family and is an entrepreneur can identify with what I’m writing, and it all matters. In fact, as I’ve already written, when I die I don’t think anyone is going to ask me my net worth, but they may ask me whether I loved my wife to the best of my ability. The neat part is, because I’m committed to it, my answer will be, “yes.”