Last Christmas, I received a book in which I found a quote from Neal A. Maxwell which reads, “How important is a line in a resume if it comes at the expense and neglect of loved ones?” Upon reading it, that line pushed me to instant introspective contemplation. Since starting the MBA program, I admit to focusing too much on lines of black text over a white sheet of paper, and not enough on the relationships that will endure beyond my money-making endeavors. I think this is a common problem for MBA students and driven business professionals. We become laser focused on getting to the end of the ‘great thing’ we are working on now, only to realize that we squandered our precious time and resources on things that don’t really matter from a long-term perspective.
Twenty-three years ago, my ele¬mentary schoolteacher Mrs. Jackson didn’t come to class. A substitute teacher came in her place, explaining that Mrs. Jackson had some personal issues to take care of and that she wouldn’t be back for a couple weeks. She came back eventu¬ally but never mentioned what the pro¬blem was. Being young and disinterested, none of us pressed to know why she was absent. It wasn’t until the last day of 5th grade that she unloaded on us.
She asked for our absolute attention. Her face changed from a crooked smile to a quivering lip, to all-out weeping in a period of 15 seconds. Through her flowing tears she said, “You probably remember when I was absent for a couple weeks a few months ago. I was afraid to tell you what happened but now I think I need to explain for your benefit. I was gone because Mr. Jackson killed himself. I needed some time to recover.”
She continued on for a while explai¬ning that her husband hated his job and was unhappy working there. Although he hated the long hours, he couldn’t walk away from the big pay checks he was bringing home. She told about how two of her children didn’t care to talk to their father because they never built a strong relationship with him at home. He was always too busy for them. The image of Mrs. Jackson’s swollen eyes remains indelibly in my mind.
I assume that most of us arrived at BYU with the expectation that we would be successful in our classes, work hard to find that perfect job, graduate, and then live happily ever after. We knew that earning an MBA would require rigorous work and sacrifice, but that it would only be a temporary burden to our loved ones. Unfortunately, we all know of too many cases where some have conditioned themselves to the sacrifice and continued that practice for the rest of their lives. Their loved ones have become conditioned to not having their father or mother or son or daughter or brother or sister around very often. How sad.
I remember a quote I read years ago on the wall in a YMCA: “Be careful climbing your life’s ladder of success; you may get to the top to find it is leaning against the wrong wall.” I’m not suggesting that we neglect our studies or cheat our employers of an honest day’s work. What I am saying is that each of us vitally needs to inspect ourselves and truly prioritize that which is most impor¬tant to us—not most important right now but most important in the long run. And we should repeat such an examination often. I know I will benefit from doing so.
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