I recently watched a Discovery special about a man who tried to kayak from Tasmania to New Zealand.  It was a very, very dangerous journey, but if he accomplished it, he would be the first man to ever do it.  He was a very loving father and husband, and he was filming himself, so it was pretty emotional seeing him leave.  He wept because he knew that there was a real chance he wasn’t going to see his family again.

He died in the last few days of his attempt and I found myself feeling very angry at this man for allowing his ambition to override his duty to be there for his son and his wife.  I make this statement with the utmost consideration and feeling of respect for his wife and son and their need to make sense of it all.

God puts people and experiences in our lives to teach us things.  What I learned from this man was to not allow my ambitions to take me away from my family.  Dealing with the death of a father would be very tough, but I think that dealing with having a father who’s never there and still lives in the same house, carries an even more lasting impact.  Entrepreneurial parents need to consider the impact of our absenteeism as we strategize our working lives.  If it takes putting time with our children first on the priority list, ahead of our ambitions, then so be it.

Many people in today’s society have grown to accept the concept of absentee fathers or mothers, or sometimes, both. Sometimes there is very little alternative, but consider the impact of what was spoken about here, and remember that you only have 900 weeks with your children in the house.  Take advantage of every one of those weeks.  Give your children what they want and need—your time.