Priorities

What do you want to be remembered for?

For me…

The core of who I am—who I want to be—is a good father, husband, and man of faith. After this, I desire to be a good business person, a good partner, boss, and co-worker. Finally, I want to be someone who does good beyond my local sphere of influence, someone who leaves the world a better place.

The order of these tiers of priority is critical. In other words, if I were to succeed in making a tremendous impact on the world, but in doing so I compromised the values Sparkbox aspires to, I would consider this a failure. Similarly, If Sparkbox was ultimately successful, but I sacrificed my relationship with my kids or my wife, this would also be a failure.

Of course, this is a common dilemma. When I think of those in history who have made a tremendous impact, often times they’ve done so at the cost of those around them. At times I feel overwhelmed with just my role in a single tier, which makes me wonder if it’s even possible to accomplish all three. Then I remember that these priorities don’t need to be independent. In fact, they are very dependent on each other. The role I play as a husband and father directly impacts how I lead my team at Sparkbox. The skills we offer as a company could easily be the method by which we improve this world for all humanity.

In the end, it’s the interdependence of these goals that makes them achievable. When I consider them separately, it’s too much. But if I see them as extensions of each other, changing the world doesn’t seem that different than spending time with my kiddos.

So, what do you want to be remembered for?