This content was created by Ryan Deiss. This content was uploaded by Ryan Deiss. This is a YouTube video titled "Are your priorities backed up by your calendar?" (created 2026-01-10) featuring a single speaker recounting a personal turning point after business success (three companies on the Inc. 500 in 2016). The speaker describes a late-night conversation with his wife that prompted him to reprioritize family over work and adopt three concrete changes: no meetings without a write-up, leave the office by 5:30 PM, and block family time on his calendar. The piece is a reflective talk about work–life balance with the core message that children want parents' time, not just money.
Chapters
So I didn't know how important this was as a parent until after I became pretty successful in 2016. I had three companies on the Inc. 500 list and I had reached what I thought was the pinnacle of my career. One night I came home and it was late because at the time I was leaving before anybody was awake. I was getting home after my wife and kids were already asleep. I walked into my bedroom and there was my wife sitting up in bed. Her eyes are red and puffy. She just looked at me and immediately I knew what this was about. She said, look, I know who I married. You can keep doing what you're doing, but you can't pretend like you're doing it for us anymore. And those words absolutely changed everything for me because I knew she was right. I mean, she basically held up a mirror to my face and said, is this what you wanted? Is this what we wanted? So I realized in that moment that three things needed to change. Number one, I said no to any meetings without a write up. I wasn't going to let myself just get sucked into the chaos of the company that I had created. Number two, I made sure to leave the office by 5:30 every day. If I couldn't get my business done in normal working hours, then just was going to have to wait to the next day. Number three, I made sure my calendar blocked time with my family first. Yeah, and guess what? I got the exact same amount of work done as before. Parents who make a lot of money believe that that success in work equates to success at home. Really doesn't matter if you're losing at home. Your kids don't want your money, your kids want your time.
