I know that this is a work related blog so don’t worry, I’ll tie this post into our work (maybe) HA!
This past weekend my best friend got engaged to his girlfriend of two years (YEAH!), and it really got me thinking about him and their relationship and weirdly, work. He has asked me to be the best man, the reason it got me thinking so much is what my speech is going to be about, I thought about what I’m going say and that’s what I’m going to tell you in this post. I’m impatient so I’m not going to be able to wait until June 15, 2013 when he gets married to keep all this inside, so you’re going to get the brunt of it (HA).
I watched what my friend went through when him and his wife of six years went through a divorce and how rough the end part of that relationship was for him and their children. I watched how he was single for a while then started dating a few woman. Right from the beginning I saw how he started to handled things, he was very protective and particular about whom he let around his children, they just didn’t meet the girlfriend of the week. He had to go through a bunch of bad apples (you know the one’s that have worms inside) until he found his granny smith apple (that’s my favorite kind, if you like a different apple then insert that apple name instead). Once he met her you could tell this wasn’t any old girl, it was the one he had been looking for, his soul mate.
Being his best friend I got a “behind the scenes” look at his relationship, you’re smart enough to understand what I’m talking about, right? I can sit here and honestly tell you that in their relationship was and is a what you see is what you get scenario, there wasn’t any double talk, he was and is genuine and true.
I have been blessed to be married to my beautiful wife (Tanya) for the last 12 years (13 years on December 4th of this year). Even with the lessons and experiences of the last 13 years I’ve been able to learn a few lessons from him and they 100% apply to our work, here they are:
- 100% Honesty (no matter what): Even with the “little things” that I thought were trivial, he was honest about them all the time (seeing this has been a real challenge to me at times!). With your work whether you’re a business owner or an employee, 100% honesty will take you very far in your career, trust me. You may think that in a relationship or work that you can get away with a lie but the truth has a way of always coming out.
- He always puts her first: During their relationship he has made his future bride a priority, putting her before his needs. When it comes to work if you put the customer first or others first, you’ll build loyal customers for life for your business or the company you work for, and they’ll be your biggest cheerleaders.
- After 2 years he’s still in that “puppy love” phase: You know how it goes, after you’ve been in a relationship for a while it seems like that initial rush can wear off, not with my friend, hearing him talk about her is like they just started dating. This is how we should feel about our work, this is what separates the good from the great. When you have that passion 2 years later people will take notice and want to do business with you. They’ll see your passion and love and how you treat them and they’ll be your best marketers for the rest of their life!
- He’s committed to making it last forever: Just talking to my friend about his relationship you can tell that he will do whatever it takes to make this marriage last. He’s head over heels in love, he has tremendous respect for his future bride and she is his best friend (I’m very jealous)! He knows a lot about relationships now (he’s learned from the last one) and he understands what he has to do to make it work. If you’re doing work that you love or are passionate about, then these same principles apply. You could establish a business that you pour everything into and it will build because no one will be better than you, and you can pass that business to the next generation.
One of the biggest keys was what he had to do: find that true love. This is also one of the biggest keys to work that will last and that we can love: you have to find work that you are passionate about and know deep down inside you that this is it.
Being married for so long I thought I should be the one giving him lessons, but I definitely learned a few from him, it works the same way with our work. You may have been at a company for 12 years or have been in business for 13 years but there are still lessons you can and should learn. No one has 100% “arrived, so this should always be a continuous learning process!
What lessons have you’ve learned from someone else? Let us know in the comments:
