By Cory Seidel
Recently, the mastermind group that I am a part of was starting down the path of turning our group into one that was a business entity in and of itself and created products and services to sell. We were all very excited about this new direction, were working on our group mission statement, and planned to start brainstorming our first project at our next meeting. This was going to be great!
Then, over the weekend prior to our meeting, I was listening to a Podcast by Chris Miles and Dale Clarke of www.fireyourfinancialadviser.com where they were interviewing Garrett Gunderson, author of Killing Sacred Cows. All of a sudden, Garrett said something that stopped me in my tracks.
Garrett was talking about not spreading yourself too thin chasing after a bunch of unrelated sources of income. Instead, he said, you should create multiple sources of income that are related to your soul purpose. When I heard that, it dawned on me that our mastermind group was starting down a path that would take some of my time that I should have focused on building my own business.
I talked to Anamarie about my thoughts and she totally agreed. We called an impromptu meeting with our mastermind group to discuss this because if the group wanted to continue down the path we were on, we would need to leave the group. This would have been very difficult as our group has been together for over a year and we have a close bond.
In our discussion, we found out that the group as a whole was very much in alignment with the feelings that Anamarie and I were having. We decided to keep the group together and drop the idea of creating a business out of the group. Instead, we would focus on helping each other in our individual pursuits, brainstorming and supporting each other on each of our paths.
What did I learn from all of this? There were a couple of things. One is that it felt very freeing and empowering to say no to an opportunity that was coming to me. The opportunity was very good, but the timing was not quite right.
A second that I got out of this is something I already knew, but it is always nice to see it happen. God gave me exactly what I needed, exactly when it was needed. Hearing the podcast that triggered my thoughts the weekend before our meeting was perfect timing, and for that I am grateful.
And, tying this all up with how it relates to parenting, it is important for each and every one of us to focus on the things that are in alignment with our soul purpose. When our kids see us enthusiastically working on things in harmony with our soul purpose, the learn the importance of doing what they love. Also, we need to make sure we don’t spread ourselves too thin. We need to protect our time so that we can invest it in the things that are important, like our family. If you have too many things taking time away from your family, those that are most precious to you suffer.
So, listen to that wee small voice when it speaks to and guides you. Be sure to take on only what leaves you enough quality time for your family. And focus on things that are in alignment with your soul purpose.
Helping you Parent OutLoud.
Blessings
