Families First

Family First has been my motto as far back as my memory goes. As one of a large family of very intelligent, caring, and verbal children, my world was my immediate family while I was growing up. We lived on a farm without close neighbors, so all our pursuits were done as a group of siblings. We had enough for our own baseball and basketball teams- being driven to nonstop lessons under the pretense we were future Olympians had not yet been invented- so time was spent in school or at home.

What a wonderful benefit we had, little television, no computers or video games, no electronic, pre-defined toys- we created our own world of entertainment and daily activities.

Lively discussions and even outright arguments developed out verbal and debate skills, increased our knowledge and assertiveness, and our speed of processing material.

Our parents were not perfect, but they were always there, always consistent role models in their behavior- good or bad, and provided a security that was unquestionable. We had little money so we all worked together and our self esteem came not from programmed praise but from the very real knowledge we had a valuable role in contributing to our family's survival.

We developed an "internal locus of control"- in other words- we knew we were in control of our lives, we could solve our own problems, and we were personally responsible for our successes and failures without blaming others.

Those qualities have allowed us all the opportunity to make unique contributions to whatever field we applied ourselves. As individuals with our own inborn temperments, reactions,and experiences, we varied in our success at raising our own children. But this did not come from a lack of total love and concern for our children and doing the best we could with what we knew at the time. Without that family first focus, the other benefits in our lives like true wealth, finding turnkey homebased businesses, or having access to more wholesale travel opportunities and other recreational pursuits and material possessions would be worthless.

Along those same lines, I read a recent quote that hit home for us baby boomers. To summarize, those baby boomers who are considering retirement to warm climates and ocean retreats should instead see as their mission helping to bring each child anywhere in their lives across the treacherous line of adolescence into maturity. That is a wonderful expansion of the Family First motto to other phases of our lives and to children outside of our immediate families. What an honorable way to spend our later years in assisting in the creation of functioning adults for the next generation instead of improving our golf scores, gardening skills, and even seeing the Seven Wonders of the World.

Join me in being a successful entrepreneur who maintains her focus on Family First through all stages of my life and in all areas of my life.