Michael Hyatt

And I was very confused because I felt like I was faced with this impossible choice. Either I could win at work and just kiss my family goodbye basically, hope they survive, or I could throttle back my ambition professionally and go all in on the family. And either one of those just didn't seem right. I thought there's gotta be a third alternative.

And I was very confused because I felt like I was faced with this impossible choice. Either I could win at work and just kiss my family goodbye basically, hope they survive, or I could throttle back my ambition professionally and go all in on the family. And either one of those just didn't seem right. I thought there's gotta be a third alternative.

And that basically sent me on a journey to see if I couldn't figure out a way to win at work and succeed at life. And that's since become my life mission to figure that out.

And that basically sent me on a journey to see if I couldn't figure out a way to win at work and succeed at life. And that's since become my life mission to figure that out.

You know, it's really popular today to bash balance for people to say, oh, I don't believe in life balance. I believe in life integration and all that. And it's partly because they have a misapprehension about what it is. Balance does not mean that you're applying equal time, energy, capital, focus to every area of your life. You're not. And there's a dynamic tension.

You know, it's really popular today to bash balance for people to say, oh, I don't believe in life balance. I believe in life integration and all that. And it's partly because they have a misapprehension about what it is. Balance does not mean that you're applying equal time, energy, capital, focus to every area of your life. You're not. And there's a dynamic tension.

It's much like if you were a gymnast on a tightrope And you're just trying to balance yourself. There's always this tension. You're always shifting your weight to try to accommodate. And I think life is like that too. It is dynamic in that way in that it constantly requires us to reposition ourselves, to reassess, to allocate our resources and all the rest. But I think it's actually possible.

It's much like if you were a gymnast on a tightrope And you're just trying to balance yourself. There's always this tension. You're always shifting your weight to try to accommodate. And I think life is like that too. It is dynamic in that way in that it constantly requires us to reposition ourselves, to reassess, to allocate our resources and all the rest. But I think it's actually possible.

And it's not only possible, it's essential. So in my worldview, I think life is made up of multiple domains. So there's body, mind, and spirit. You know, there's family, there's friendships, there's finance, there's our hobbies, there's our health. And all those things are interrelated, right?

And it's not only possible, it's essential. So in my worldview, I think life is made up of multiple domains. So there's body, mind, and spirit. You know, there's family, there's friendships, there's finance, there's our hobbies, there's our health. And all those things are interrelated, right?

So if something goes south, if you have a health crisis, it's going to bleed into or cascade into all those other areas of life. You know, if you have a health crisis, it's going to impact your marriage, it's going to impact your work. If you have marital problems, it's going to impact your work. If you've got stress at work, you're going to bring it home. So all these things are interrelated.

So if something goes south, if you have a health crisis, it's going to bleed into or cascade into all those other areas of life. You know, if you have a health crisis, it's going to impact your marriage, it's going to impact your work. If you have marital problems, it's going to impact your work. If you've got stress at work, you're going to bring it home. So all these things are interrelated.

So if they're not considered carefully and if they're not pursued intentionally, then you're basically going to drift through life and end up in a crisis. And so I make a real big distinction between designing your life and drifting through life. Those are two different things, but the default mode is to drift. And I would say that that's where most people, that's their approach to life.

So if they're not considered carefully and if they're not pursued intentionally, then you're basically going to drift through life and end up in a crisis. And so I make a real big distinction between designing your life and drifting through life. Those are two different things, but the default mode is to drift. And I would say that that's where most people, that's their approach to life.

When I turned that division around, the CEO said, congratulations, we're going to give you more responsibility. So now you're going to become a divisional manager. over several publishing units. And then ultimately I became the COO and then the CEO. And at the time, Thomas Nelson was a publicly traded company in the New York Stock Exchange. So all that goes with

When I turned that division around, the CEO said, congratulations, we're going to give you more responsibility. So now you're going to become a divisional manager. over several publishing units. And then ultimately I became the COO and then the CEO. And at the time, Thomas Nelson was a publicly traded company in the New York Stock Exchange. So all that goes with

running and operating within a public company. But that year in 2002, I thought, you know, I'm kind of out of tricks. I turned this division around, but I'm scared because I don't know what I can do to continue to grow that division plus the new ones I was leading. And so I actually went to John Maxwell and I said, I think I need a coach, but I don't know any coaches.

running and operating within a public company. But that year in 2002, I thought, you know, I'm kind of out of tricks. I turned this division around, but I'm scared because I don't know what I can do to continue to grow that division plus the new ones I was leading. And so I actually went to John Maxwell and I said, I think I need a coach, but I don't know any coaches.

And John said to me, I've got the perfect coach for you. He introduced me to Daniel Harkavy, who runs a company called Building Champions in Portland. And so Daniel and I began a coaching relationship and he and I are really good buddies to this day. We've written a book together and we go fishing in the fall together, fly fishing. And so that was a good relationship.

And John said to me, I've got the perfect coach for you. He introduced me to Daniel Harkavy, who runs a company called Building Champions in Portland. And so Daniel and I began a coaching relationship and he and I are really good buddies to this day. We've written a book together and we go fishing in the fall together, fly fishing. And so that was a good relationship.