Looking back on my childhood, I was raised in a small town that only had school up to the 8th grade. This meant that I never went to high school or even college. Bear in mind, however, that I was an ambitious young boy who was determined to be successful. And when you don’t have proper education, you ultimately have to rely on your work to rise up in life.

When I turned 18, I began working at a local construction company. At the time I thought that being a part of their crew was the best thing that could ever happen to me!

But real life only started at the age of 20 when I married my wife Sally. I threw all my might into my job in order to provide and support my family (we had just welcomed the most gorgeous twins into the world). At 22, I started my own roofing business where I had a crew of seven men, who were younger than I was, working under me. The business did well, the customers were happy.

But I was increasingly anxious thinking about my responsibilities when it came to my employees and my work.

The reality, however, was that I was always so concerned that my crew would quit on me and I would have nothing left. On the other hand, I wanted to grow my company but did not know how to train anybody. I worked on my crew five days a week and in the evenings made my phone calls until 8 or 9 o’clock. At the end of the day, I was so tired that I could not spend time with my fast-growing family. It was putting pressure on my relationship with my wife and we were constantly being challenged.

Looking back on that time period, I realized that the Universe has its unique ways of pushing you in the right direction. My turning point came 5 years later when I decided that this was not the kind of business I wanted to do. I sold my business and decided to look for something else. I was now committed to the thought that I wanted to spend more time with my family. And over the years, I have found success along with the time that I needed.

Those early years of being “too busy” shaped and molded my relationship with Sally. We found that relationships are not about being “right” all the time. They are about being there for each other, compromising, and understanding. It’s easy to take those we love most for granted because they are always there for you.

Years later I now take my family of 6 children and Sally out for various travel adventures. We go camping on weekends at least once a month and I love to take my youngest son on boat rides down by the lake, feed the fish at the nearby pond, and go for walks in the woods behind our house. It is the most fulfilled I have ever been.

Success in your job is great, but an ingredient to that success is the peace that comes from your home. For that, you have to place your family as a priority and commit to spending quality time with them. The rest can wait.