In the comments below his blog I saw this and liked it - especially the bit about the children laughing because they know the truth therein - is that them displaying emotional intelligence ?
[on http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/03/10/24-hours-with-tim-ferriss-a-sample-schedule/]
March 10th, 2008
5:10 am
Who can disagree. The hardest part is to learn to relax into the other 20 hours after you have your 4 hours of productive work.
A while ago I took an afternoon off from work to go to my son’s birthday party. One of his friends arrived with a babysitter and announced that “My parents couldn’t bring me because they are very busy.”
My good Calvinist indoctrination of an upbringing whirred into action and I felt useless and disempowered. Why wasn’t I busy? Was I just slacking? Why am I not that that much in demand? Blah, Blah….
Then in a moment of grace my Muse made me say: “Being busy is horrible. It makes you grumpy.” All the little ones burst out laughing because they knew it was true.
Later I remembered how many times had I seen this same little guy’s father all irritated when he was dropping his son off at school in the morning. Hardly something to strive for.
Amen; and worth bearing in mind if you already have your little ones on the treadmill to repeat your own history/career/workaholism.
Please if you have children create a time every day when you are most definitely not that grumpy person for them - I remember my Father being in a bad mood for almost all my childhood (and I'm not judging him for this - he probably had good reason !) ... or rather I remember the contrast ... one or two moments that stand out in all of the grump, e.g. once when I was about eleven years old, with a martini in hand he kicked a beanbag across the living room floor and said "wahey !!" and looked very happy ... the fact that this one moment sticks in my mind 'til now is unfortunately an indicator of what the rest was like ....
People, don't you do this to yourselves !
Ax
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