I’ve had a lot of people asking me why I’m not at TRAFFIC in Miami. I’ve been to every TRAFFIC conference for the past 10 years (other than the very first) and I’ve found them exceptional events for developing business. So why aren’t I attending this time?
It just so happens that my daughter Elise is turning 16 and despite my love for TRAFFIC she trumps it. I wouldn’t miss her birthday for anything. So I am really sorry to all of my great friends at TRAFFIC but you got beat out this time……but I will be there in 2015!
When I think of my decision it’s all about what I regard as important in my life. Do we work to live or live to work? I love my work but the reason why I work is so that I can live a more fulfilled life. It's focusing on people and relationships not things and money that provide a richer better life. In this case it was my relationships with my daughter that won the day.
The order of importance for me is my relationships with God, Roselyn (wife), my kids, work colleagues, friends etc. I find that if I have these priorities in the right alignment then life is good. Sure, I can break the rules for a time but there’s always a cost.
For example, I could have told Elise that I really had to go to TRAFFIC. I’m sure that she would have understood but the cost would have been high. For the rest of her life she would have known that her 16th birthday got beaten by a work event. When she heard that I was going to stay home she was ecstatic! The smile was all the reward I needed.
As I’ve gotten a little older (and hopefully wiser) I’ve discovered an amazing thing. Business is less about money and more about relationships. If you build the relationships then the money will naturally come. I like this type of business approach as it fits in with my life ethos and it just seems to work.
Over the many years that I’ve been in the domain industry I’ve seen people come and seen people go. Invariably those that focused solely on the dollar ended up making a complete mess of things and many of them are now destitute. Those that have built strong relationships are going from strength to strength in the industry.
Remember that at the end of your life there are no winners and losers. We all end up pushing up daisies. But those that focus on the relationships end up building a legacy that transcends the generations.
If you’re attending TRAFFIC then I would encourage you to spend time getting to know the other attendees. There are some amazing people in this industry and we can all learn from them.
Whenever I attend any conference I have a rule that on the last night there isn’t any talk about business. I end up going out with a group of friends and we swap stories, have a lot of laughs and just get to know each other. Have fun and enjoy this great industry we’re all a part of.
I look forward to seeing you all next year.