We’ve all done it. We work really hard during the day at work. Focus on our tasks, plan for our meetings, attempt to communicate clearly, start on time, and at least work to be better than we would be alone. We come home, forget all the effort we put into work and mistakenly think that quality family relationships just happen. We know that quality work doesn’t just happen… we have to work at it. We sit in front of the tv or on the phone and then wonder why our family is mediocre at best, maybe even falling apart.
It’s time to change. If you have regrets, say your sorry and let’s learn from them. Don’t neglect your family for another day.
At home as At work
Family relationships are very different from work relationships, but there are certain things we do at work that can help us with our home life if we simply use a little imagination. Here is a list of activities men (and women) pursue at work that can be applied to the family:
- Ask questions when we don’t know something
- We know we are not the best nor the only ones
- We follow best practices for the job
- We seek out training
- We allow a mentor to speak into our lives
- Are accountable to a supervisor
- Focus on the task at hand
- Work hard to accomplish the tasks that have been given
- Write down goals and review them
- Spend time with coworkers to solve problems
- Spend time with coworkers for fun
- We communicate the things we do and don’t like
- We think before we speak
- We work with the intention to raise our skill level
Bring the best of you home
Bring your strengths at work home with you and apply them to your family. Maybe you are a great planner or a great communicator. Maybe you are great at leading meetings or at encouraging others. Do you like to mentor and teach others? Do you find that you enjoy doing things for others? Bring those skills, passions, and effort into your house and use them in humility for the good of your family. God has put you in a position to be a parent. A guiding force in your family for good. Take some time to think about some things you could do at home that you already do at work. Don’t bring your bad work attitude home with you or come home and try and boss your family around. Bring your ideas in order to be a servant to your family, for their good and to help them grow.
