Discipline is a Super Power

How do I work smart? The answer is death.

This may sound dramatic, but it’s the absolute truth. I was a workaholic. I grew up with parents and grandparents who always worked hard; they were people who started with nothing, and worked their way to the top. And when I say worked, I mean worked. I grew up with a huge amount of respect for my father, because he worked very hard doing shift work in order to keep our family afloat, and to give his children nice things. He never complained, he just worked, saving for his retirement. He was excited to do all the things he didn’t have the time or energy for, because he worked so often. My father made it to retirement, and suddenly passed away. This is how death changed the way I work. I was devastated. He didn’t get to play; he didn’t get to do what he wanted; he didn’t see his children much as we were growing up. This was his time to shine, and it was too late.

I was a workaholic up until that day. I was the 16 year old who worked all summer, and at 18, worked three jobs with only a couple hours off to sleep before starting all over the next day. I was the kid that bought my own house at 24 years old, paid my way through college, and started my own business at 26. My parents didn’t help me with money; I have all I have today by doing it myself. It wasn’t until my father died, in good health and at a relatively young age, that my heart and eyes were blown wide open. I needed to work smarter not harder; I needed to enjoy life while I could; I needed to create balance, immediately.

He passed away six years ago, and since then, I have constantly searched for ways to work smarter. Every day, I am re-evaluating, opening my mind to discussions, watching, and learning. My superpower is my level of discipline and commitment to a schedule; if I create a schedule nothing gets in the way – I can quickly and efficiently cross things off of my list. Our dog kennel Unleashed! Pet Care Services, is a job that requires hourly monitoring all year round; discipline and scheduling is the only way to avoid burn out. At this point in my life I have realized I just need to get it done, and not necessarily done perfectly. Remember, one of us could be gone tomorrow. Do we really need to be wasting more time making everything perfect? I see it now: it is almost disrespectful to waste time being perfect. I need every second I can get, living the life I want for my family and me. Getting tasks finished quickly builds confidence; for a mother and business owner it makes the million little tasks seem easier. I need to be quick and efficient in order to be available to enjoy the world and my people.

I thank my father for this very important lesson of not working harder, but working smarter. Now, I’m off to curl in the Bonspiel on the Lake on Lake Windermere!

Written by: Amber Schick; Unleashed! Pet Care Services