I am 36 years old, I have 5 kids and a beautiful wife of 13 years. As you can imagine balance between work, family and personal time is a challenge.

I want to emphasize that it is possible, and no I don’t mean that you will be walking a razor wire to balance everything. That would be unhealthy.

Lets talk about a time budget. Time should be treated like money (Unless you treat money poorly…) Budgeting your time is important. You likely have more of it than you might think.

Over the years I have learned lessons on balance and what that really looks like. I remember moments where I would notice a father who seemed to have more time than I do and lamenting my pitiful life. “Woe was me, I do not have time to do that.” I was focusing on the wrong thing, I was coveting someone else’s time.

The first and most profound change was to rejoice in the life I had. ^{(So tenth Commandment…. Do not covet)} The shift from covetousness to gratefulness had a profound effect on my life. It was as if blinders were removed, revealing extra time. Upon examination, I found that I had time. More and less time than others, we all have different lives. Resolving to utilize my time better I began to implement changes.

Amused

I chuckle that as I write I end up changing words to be more “professional”. The sentence above was much more 5th grade until I changed it.

The changes produced results, I had time to pursue my ambition. Note that I even had more time to spend with my family. My top three in life is God, Family, and Ministry. Below that I am seeking to acquire different businesses, granted that does coincide with providing for my family. It has been fueled by a desire to provide well for my wife and kids along with owning something that I can run and use to make a difference in the world.

Changes made.

1. Eliminating social media
2. Maintain structure
3. Chill

Social media was sucking all time away from me. If asked I would honestly say that I was not on social media a lot. But I was deceived, 5 minutes every 20 minutes adds up. I’d find that I had been scrolling for 30 minutes. Hours were stolen away, hours that I could have used to spend time with family and serve in my church or work on my business. I highly recommend getting the Freedom app. Its a great way to block social media, it changed my life.

Structure. You may not be like me, but if my structure, my plan/routine is interrupted I generally fall off the bandwagon for a decent couple of weeks. I was forced to learn that if routine is affected I can’t let it affect me. One day missed does not mean I should give up. Life happens, I needed to learn how to roll with the punches. (Still working on this)

Lastly, CHILL.

Anxiety, stress, frustration and depression plagued me. I would spiral when I screwed up, or when I failed to accomplish something I was working on. Really everything would affect me at the same time. I would hate where I was, feel trapped, felt like I could not move forward. I remember the day that it changed. I was showering and had a sudden realization. “Why am I acting like this? God is good, I have a great family, and God is good…” A shift occurred, I had this moment of clarity, and decided then and there that enough was enough. Why stress when God is good, God loves me and God will take care of me and my family.

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^{[a] 28} And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Chill and enjoy your life, yes you might be in a spot where you are working two or three jobs. I’ve been there, its tough, but you will make it through. Use the time that you have to worship God, spend time with family, serve the church and then pursue those dreams. Be biblically ambitious in all you do for the glory of God.