Today, I want to digress a little from stories that talk about business, selling, and buying. My career of over 40+ years in tourism and hospitality was a success. From a young, ambitious, enthusiastic salesman, I climbed the management ladder, one rung at a time. I learned and practiced being a successful salesman and then shared my skills to train teams of salespeople.
I remember vividly growing up and while going to school believed that my goal in life was to have a successful career, be a leader, get married, and start a family. A successful career would be an achievement professionally, creating a steady stream of income that would provide me an opportunity to support a family. It was no surprise that supporting a family drove the need to have a successful career.
We work to support the family.
My wife and I have just celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary, certainly a milestone in our lives. Looking back at those years, we started with very, very little. The good news is that when you are young, you don’t know much and aren’t afraid because you know there are many years ahead to have the income to build your dreams. It is hard to believe that when we got married, I had only $5,000 in the bank which I had saved for 6 years since graduating from university. She had even less. We didn’t know what the word budget meant nor how to develop one. Nonetheless, with those limited funds, we got married, had a banquet reception, made a small down payment to purchase a small condominium apartment, and even managed to have a honeymoon in Hong Kong. The honeymoon was important, not only to celebrate the marriage but to meet her family, whom I had not met previously. Imagine, we got married without meeting the family. Fortunately, they did approve and did not change their minds after we finally met.
Like many young Americans starting a life together, we both worked, and the two incomes got us started. At the time, our combined salary was approximately $1,100 a month. Minus taxes, a mortgage, and living expenses, we still managed to save a little each month. That gave us the confidence to start our family. Two daughters came along a couple of years after which were the happiest moments of our lives. We were young, knew very little, and understood even less. What we did know was that the career and family had begun. We have a huge commitment and responsibility now.
I knew from the start that career and family must always be connected and must grow side by side.
My career did not have value if the family was not by my side. The family needed the career, and the career needed the family. That belief has been with me all these years. Today, I can cherish the thought that life has been good to me, and I have been able to fulfill my goal. Our two daughters have their own families now, and we have three grandsons to keep us active.
The future is never predictable but somehow, I knew when it all began that I would work hard to achieve these results. It has all been worthwhile and if I was to do it again, I would do it all the same way.
Comments