4.  Whether or not folks on the other side are going to like the answer, tell the truth. This is not to say I’ve cried wolf my entire life, just reiterating what we all know can be a tough conversation, especially if it’s not a positive answer, response or dialogue.  Remember that productivity comes from both sides of the isle. Be it clients, customers, family members, co-workers or law enforcement, be honest. Like my father once said, “Son, the truth is not only the right thing to share, it’s the easiest to remember.”  Took me years to realize how right on the money that statement is.

3.  When it comes to a conversation, listen twice as much as you talk. We all know (or are) people who struggle with this. There’s the no eye contact gazer… the one-upper … the interrupter… the sentence finisher… the argument maker… and the list goes on and on.  When it comes to listening, I’ll be honest… it’s difficult for me. I am a talker and love to share stories, thoughts or insight with anybody who wants to engage with me.  But in an effort to listen, I have found the connections I am making in this industry are more real and more meaningful than those I have made in the past. Not because I’m hearing you, but because I’m listening to you.

2. It’s OK to ask for help.  I still have a hard time with this part of my business life because I don’t want to come across as a poser or fraud. My biggest fear is that somebody is going to call me out. In this industry especially, if you pretend you do know and you don’t, you will be eaten alive.  When that happens, there goes your credibility and any business you may have hoped you’d earn. Recently I have put my ego on the back burner and started to ask people to slow down or explain it again.  Do some folks get a little bent out of shape?  Sure they do, but more often than not they understand and want to help me.  It’s in our nature to help, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Like our school teachers always said, the only dumb question is the question not asked.

1. To fully appreciate all in life, creating priorities is a must. While work is not life, it plays an integral role in who we are, allows us to be creative, productive and utilize our education and experience to better those we come in contact with. I speak for the majority of us when I say what we do is not brain surgery. Lives are not in the balance every time we go to work. As a people pleaser, learning to check out at 5:00 (most days) and not bringing home my work has proven to be a difficult task. But doing so has done wonders for my marriage and my relationship with my son.  These are the most important thing in my life and to remember my work helps me provide a roof and food for those people, it does not replace them.

Again, these are only 4 lessons of the dozens I have learned since I started with this organization nearly a year ago.  The education continues with each new person I have the privilege of meeting.

Brad and his wife Robyn spoke to us about how their faith helps keep everything in perspective. There are many tools for helping to keep life and work in Balance, but for the Schows it all comes down to their faith in Christ.

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Getting back on the road quite early this morning for the drive home.  We are on Pat Crotty time – so that means ON THE ROAD at 4am – then drive all day with breaks for gas/bathrooms. (we have food packed in the cooler for drivetime dining).  So…  Although we have 1521 miles to drive – we’ll be home by tomorrow night.  Today, we’ll drive 842 miles to Butte, Montana.  Tomorrow we’ll push it the rest of the way home to Bellingham.  Our kids are the smallest of the bunch – so this travel style is pretty rough on them, despite the drugs (portable DVD players we bought for the trip) we’re giving them.  Augustus is 3yo and Dorothy is 9 months.  Dorothy has always been a great car traveler, but the drive to North Dakota kind of ruined that wonderful trait.  She’s sleeping now of course, but I fear that when she wakes up that we’ll be hearing about it…