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Stress Beaters.

A businessman who had put his sons through the most expensive public schooling he could get them once told me how jealous he was of me. I could think of nothing in the world to make him feel like this, but he then said he was jealous of the fact I read stories to my children every night. This was something he had never done, because his children were never at home. He had so much regret about missing out on such a simple act, an act that costs nothing.
On a particular day my waiting room seemed to be full of parents and children.The first family to see me brought their slightly bewildered ten-year-old son because they wanted me to tell him off for not working hard enough at school. He had tears in his eyes as they said this, and I have seldom seen an unhappier young boy. I knew this young boy always did his best, but would never be a rocket scientist. This was not his fault, and I spent the time chastising the
parents, not him.
The next family brought in their severely mentally-disabled daughter, who would never achieve any kind of academic qualification in her life. They had accepted her for who she was, and could not have 'been prouder of her. Despite all the problems they faced, I felt uplifted simply by talking to them. "What she could not do did not matter. Being part of a family who were all individuals in their own right did, and the difference in attitudes, happiness and stress levels between those two consultations could not have been more marked.
Don't use your child's achievements as a way of making up for missed opportunities. Be proud of your children for what they are, and live your life while encouraging them to live theirs.

Beware the adrenalin buzz
We all work for different reasons. If we are lucky, we get paid for doing what we enjoy. Yet many people tolerate their job simply to pay the bills, and so spend their -working life wishing they were doing something else. For others, their job gives them one thing they cannot find anywhere else — adrenalin. You do not need to be a stuntman or firefighter for this. Businessmen looking for the next big deal or people trying to sell their world-beating idea thrive on the buzz of achievement, and seem to appear in front of my desk regularly. There is nothing wrong with hunting success - you do have to look for it, because most of the time it will not just drop into your lap - but it is often at a price.
You can't do two jobs successfully at the same time. If you try to, you will fail. Wanting to be a devoted family man while spending 16 hours a day setting up a company is simply wishful thinking, as is wanting to become rich by spending more time at home or on the beach. Ask yourself these questions:
When you are not at work, are you always thinking there is just one more job that needs doing?
Do people complain about the fact that you seem distracted when you are away from work?
Do you resent time spent away from the buzz of work? Are you more comfortable at work than at home? Has success cost you relationships or your health?

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