I recently read an excellent article by John Meese titled “How To Protect Key Relationships While Building Your Platform.” In the article Meese shared 5 key rules to follow if you desire to build healthy relationships with the people around you while also building a successful online platform.
I think Meese’s advice can be slightly adapted and applied for anyone pursing greater success of any sort (not just building a “platform”). So, borrowing a little bit from John Meese, here are 5 ways to protect key relationships while pursing greater success:
- Pursue Work and a Career for Which You Have Great Passion
If you want those around you to care about your work and career, “you need to care about it first—in fact, you need to care more than anyone else!”
- Draw a Line in the Sand
When you are highly focused and engaged in building a successful business or career, you must “be especially careful to clarify where work ends and home life begins.”
- Celebrate Your Wins with the People You Love
When building a successful business or career, “It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the daily hustle & grind … [and forget] to celebrate how far you have come.” So be intentional and regularly make time to pause and celebrate your successes. When you celebrate your wins and include your loved ones, they can and will be more engaged with what you’re doing—and help cheer you on!
- Take Time Off
When building a successful business or career you are passionate about, you are focused and highly engaged. But if you push yourself past the point where you should take a break, you are far more likely to burn out and burn vital relationships. Sometimes the best thing is to take a break. Not only will you be refreshed, but “When you take time off, you have more opportunity [and energy] to invest in your key relationships.”
- Remember to Outsource in Every Area of Your Life
Meese gives the great advice that as you build your business or career, constantly identify those areas where you provide the greatest value and those areas where you create and provide the least value—aka, “those areas where you’re probably wasting your time.” Judiciously spend money to take more tedious work off your plate or your family’s plate and invest that time on more energizing, profitable activities.
CONCLUSION
Remember, focus on and live these 5 ways to protect your key relationships while pursuing greater personal, professional and organizational success. Over time, the rewards will be priceless and will magnify and multiply success in all areas of your life!
**This article was adapted from the October 2017 article titled “How To Protect Key Relationships While Building Your Platform” by John Meese.
