Most people told me I would be a wreck as soon as my son was born so, I’d better get used to lack of sleep and being disheveled. Hearing this “advice”, I wanted to ensure I would be able to focus on both my professional life and on becoming a first time dad, falling in love with my son and being available to enjoy these precious early days with my wife and Koan, as well as doubling the size of my business.
Koan is now one year Old. Here are my thoughts:
Lesson One: Be clear
Be clear of how you want your first year to be with your child. Being a startup founder, you get to choose. Set the times you want to be with him/her, and really enjoy the early months. Be there fully with your baby. It goes super fast, and you won't want to miss it. When you are not with your child, use their energy, wonder and aliveness to carry you to do your best work.
Lesson Two: Know your job. (as a founder and a dad)
As a startup founder it’s critical to know why you do what you do and why your company does what it does. Same goes for being a dad. Take some time and see how you want to merge the two, share this with your wife (by example and words) you will have be able to create your life at home and at work.
Lesson Three: Adapt or die
My wife and I knew our lives would change (a lot) when Koan was born, so we adapted our mindsets before he arrived. We knew sleep would be at a premium, so I now go to sleep early so I can be woken to change him in the middle of the night, and not be a zombie the next day. I then take care of him early morning so my wife can catch up on her sleep. We’ve prepared ourselves to work wiser, not harder. We now get far more done in less time. We’re also much kinder to each other. I’ve been told this is not always the case. Many couples unravel because of the pressures that come with a newborn.
If you would like to talk about how I came to grips with my first year with Koan, doubling the size of my business and learning how to create real balance, not the stuff they talk about on tv... give me a call.
