As many of you know, my wife, The Fashion Designer, has been getting a lot of press lately for all sorts of things.  But mostly, to celebrate the fact that people like her designs. The most recent big moment was that her swim wear was in the bathing suit issue of Sport’s Illustrator.

Why am I mentioning this?

It’s to make the point that everyone is grasping for fame and fortune and success. We all work really hard.  Struggle.  Battle. Go into your office everyday to push the business forward one more inch.  Sometimes it feels like it is working.  Other times, you feel that you are running full tilt into a solid, immovable wall.  But either way, you come in each day to do it again.  Your employees require it.  Your customers require it. Frankly, you can’t live without it.

But, this kind of life only works if you have balance. There must  be time for friends and family and lovers.  And again, this balance is required to be a better employer, vendor, and human.

First some homage to The Morning Breakfast Date.  A tradition I highly recommend to all of you.  Breakfast is a great meal. And seeing your significant other when they are fresh and at the peak of their game is a treat.  Don’t begrudge getting into the office one day a little late!

This morning was a little different.  The emails, the texts, the phone calls, were all coming in fast and furiously because of the Sport’s Illustrator coverage. So, our coveted 30 minutes together was starting to slip away.  Given the intensity of my business and hers this is always a risk.  But this morning, our date was starting to feel a little like the taking of Omaha Beach.

I mentioned this to my lovely, successful, intense wife and she gave me that smile and immediately turned her iphone off and actually put it away in her bag.  She put away fame, fortune, and success, so we could have our 30 minutes of happiness. If you ever hear me complain about anything, anything at all, remind me of this moment and I will stop.  I promise.