Don’t misunderstand me. I’m a big fan of Chris Brogan (blogger and NY Times Best Selling author) and the work he does. His ability to share what he knows has made me a better blogger and I’m nothing but grateful.
Lately, Chris has been pulling back the curtain to reveal what his life is like behind the scenes now that he has become the go-to guy of the interwebs. In one of his recent posts, Overnight Success, he talks about the sacrifices he has had to make in order to meet the demand of his success. His life is a constant stream of speaking engagements, non-stop travel, and hotel rooms – all part of the sacrifice that comes with spreading a message he is passionate about.
These are his glory days and he has every right to bask in the limelight after years of hard work, but it was a video interview on BrandCampU.com, So You Want to Be Like Chris Brogan, that really got me wondering if I wanted to be like the guy whose blog I adore.
Have a look:
Do I want to be successful? Well of course I do, but I think my definition of success may be very different.
In his book, Make Today Count, which I reviewed here, John C. Maxwell talks about priorities. It’s one of the 12 Principles that helps us sculpt our daily activities in order to be more successful. John had a very different definition of success until he actually became successful. Was he passionate about his message? Absolutely, but he recognized quickly that he was neglecting the needs of his family in order to satisfy his audience. He rewrote his definition of success at that moment: Success is having the people closest to me love and respect me the most. He recognized that his family was his first priority.
In an interview on personalbrandingblog.com back in March 2009, John was asked the question, “What is your definition of success?” He answered, “I know that if I make you, your readers, or anyone else think highly of me, but I betray or neglect my wife Margaret or people who know me well, I have failed.” I think highly of John just for making that statement.
Out of the last 40 days I saw my family 2 days out of 40 and, you know, I’ll see them twice more out of the next 20.
- Chris Brogan, Interview on BrandCampU.com
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Chris Brogan and I mean no offense by writing any of this. He is an incredible person with a strong work ethic and moral compass. He works with no pretenses in full disclosure and brings something to the internet that has been lacking: trust. He is dedicated and committed to his passion and I applaud him for that, but I also don’t want to be like him.
If I measure my success by John Maxwell’s definition then I’ve already achieved it and I plan to keep it that way. I’ll constantly strive to improve myself and do bigger and better things, but never at the risk of neglecting my family. You could argue that it’s only temporary and that I’d be better equipped to take care of my family after the dust settles, but I disagree. I support Chris’s passion and effort, but I also recognize that I could not do what he does and the sacrifices that he is making aren’t the kind that I’m willing to make.
What do you think? Is achieving success worth the sacrifice of neglecting your family?
Photo Source: stevegarfield
Yesterday, I watched a live web event of 
