Written by Dinette Rivera
Why am I writing this blog about traveling to Puerto Rico to see my parents? Does it have anything to do with business? I’m writing this blog about my trip to Puerto Rico because I think, at times, we forget why we do what we do in life. We forget what drives us to do our work. And so I wanted to share something I became very aware of during my visit to my parents. To give you a little bit of background, my parents are not in great health. I lost both my siblings and I’m now an only child. If you have parents living somewhere far away and you care about them, you probably have a good idea of what I am feeling knowing that my parents really need my help and I’m an ocean away.
My father is losing his capacity for mobility. He’s losing his ability to walk. For a man that played softball until the age of 63, this is a really difficult time for him and he’s not taking it well. My parents love their home in Puerto Rico, they love the weather, and don’t want to leave the island. So why does this really matter when it comes to business? It matters because it made me realize the goals I have set for 2015 and the reasons for those goals don’t really matter to me as much as I thought they did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still striving to reach the goals that I have set for my company. They are still important to me, yet I realized what I really want, more than anything, is the ability to travel to Puerto Rico much more often so that I can really be of help to my parents. I want the ability to do my business from wherever I am. I want to know when my parents need me I can get on a plane and be there within a few hours.
I share a bit of my personal struggles between what is right for my business and what is right for my family in hopes you’ll revisit your goals for 2015 and find out what would really drive you to achieve them this year. This is more for those of us that find ourselves achieving many of the goals we have set for ourselves but knowing there are so many other things we could have done. So many things we could have made happen in our business and, for whatever reason, we reached the end of the year and wonder what happened. It didn’t really have anything to do with time. We had a year.
I believe we often get distracted by the goals other people suggest we should be setting. Perhaps we establish financial goals without taking the time to understand how they will helps us reach our vision for our life.
For me this year is about two things: Ensuring my business is positioned where I can work from anywhere in the world. Most importantly, I want the opportunity to be there for my parents because they have dedicated their life to being there for me. My personal and business goals are interconnected, they are not separate.
I hope 2015 will bring you everything you desire for your business and your personal life. I hope your goals are based on what truly matters to you.
I leave you with a simple question. When you set your goals for 2015 and embarked on them, what were the real reasons for those goals?”