Saturday, February 16, 2008
Why Simplify
Within the first five minutes the conversation turned to the inevitable question: How can we do it all -- launch a business and take care of our families (let alone take care of ourselves!) while being able to get more than a few hours of sleep a night? And while this question raises more issues than we can justly answer in one blog -- the first thought that came to mind on hearing the question was "My business was born out of wanting to answer this very question."
We all only have 24 hours in a day. I would venture to guess that Oprah probably has a few more items on her to-do list than I do, and she is still able to run a multi-billion dollar enterprise, campaign for her favorite candidate, and build a school on the other side of the world. Not bad. Oprah has fully staffed and supported life in order to accomplish all of her dreams. This has benefited her personally and the world at large.
Now, you're probably thinking "Well, if I had a billion dollars I could do that too." However, I challenge you to think about this not in the context of how much it would cost, but in the context of how much it is worth. What part of your life could you get more supported today to give you an extra 30 minutes? What could you delegate to a partner, a spouse, a child, or an assistant? Would that make you a more focused, more happy, more easy-going? And what is that worth to you and to your family?
While my schedule doesn't look like Oprah's, the challenges of balancing motherhood, personal health, managing personal investments, and maintaining a relationship with my spouse are still very real. I've co-founded Simplify Home Solutions largely due to the fact that I felt I needed this company to exist in order to bring sanity and balance into my own life. I want one number to call to manage all the household services that give me more time for family and make life easier, fuller, and more enjoyable.
Not being able to find a company that did this the way that I had envisioned -- with a wide range of household services, with a process that was truly personalized, and with the safety and security that I required -- led me to what has become a great entrepreneurial adventure with a mission of restoring balance into the lives of Simplify's clients.
And that is why Simplify.
"I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time."
~Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine, April 2003
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is so true! I often have wondered how some people (like Oprah) seem to get so much accomplished in life and during each day. What I've learned is that they have a team supporting them and their lives - not only in their work lives, but in their home lives as well. Oprah is certainly not washing her own laundry!
Even in my own life, I have so little time that it's all about choices... Do I help my 4 year old daughter Liliana do her valentines for school, or do I attack that mound of dishes in the sink that's bugging me? Do I actively play with my 5 month old Jackson while he's awake or do I prop him up so that he can watch me put away the clean laundry? When I look back at Lily's and Jackson's childhoods, I'm not going to regret that I didn't spend more time keeping my house in order. I'm going to regret not spending enough time with them. That being said however, I can't stand living in a messy disorganized house! That is why I choose to outsource most of our household chores - housecleaning, yard maintenance, dishes, laundry and tidying up. So, while I'm not building schools in Africa (not yet at least!) I still deserve to have my life supported so I can spend my time on the things - and people - that matter most to me. And that is why I Simplify.
Post a Comment