Why I Worked Too Hard and What I Would Tell My Younger Self

My youngest daughter is now 34. She recently told me, as kindly as she could, that she largely does not remember me being present when she was small.

I was there. I was there in the house, often. But I was not present. I was on calls, on my laptop, mentally in the office even when physically at home.

I have a good career. I am proud of some things I built. But I cannot point to a single deal closed, a single promotion received, a single quarterly target met, that was worth the trade.

Here is what I would tell my 32-year-old self: the email will still be there tomorrow. The meeting can be rescheduled. But your daughter is seven years old exactly once.

Career and family are not inherently in opposition. But if you consistently choose career, you are also consistently choosing to be less present to the people who need you most.

Choose more carefully than I did. The work will survive your absence. The years will not wait.