#If someone took my checkbook code#

This is the routing code for the bank on which the check is drawn. There is a nine-digit number at the bottom-left end of the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line (the numbers printed in magnetic ink near the bottom of the front of the check). Those closest to me seem to value that hour more than any other.With the exception of government checks, checks printed on computer card stock, counter checks, and temporary checks, you should be able to feel perforations on at least one edge of all legitimate checks.

I like to leave an hour earlier from work one day each week to surprise somebody.

Regularly, I like to meet my family for lunch.

It helps me smile and gives my brain a much needed break.

I try to call my wife, a family member or a friend each day at lunch or while driving.

I have something to look forward to, and it alerts my staff to keep those days free.

I hard-code six or more “long weekends” on my calendar by the first week of January.

HERE ARE A FEW SIMPLE THINGS THAT HAVE HELPED ME MAINTAIN BALANCE But I’m betting you knew that before I wrote it. Business success doesn’t taste as sweet when everything else in life becomes the sacrifice for it. Long-term balance outside of business provides us with the motivation and creativity in our businesses to achieve more than we could by working more anyway. Occasionally, I find that three days are necessary. Sometimes, I find that three minutes of conversation with my wife can balance my afternoon. The simple actions that I choose to take serve as indicators to me and my family that I take my non-work/non-golf life seriously. In fact, I’m guessing you have your own ideas that will work for you. There are no fix-it-alls just simple actions. The challenge is acting upon what we know is best. We all want a balanced life and, generally, we know what must be done to achieve it. When is the last time you heard a friend say that he wished he could avoid his family by traveling more frequently and working on Sundays? You won’t hear it. We naturally crave a balanced life the challenge is living it. If my actions are brought into alignment with my true goals, balance is more likely to be achieved.

While difficult to prove, is it not true that we are more confident, more consistent, happier and better leaders of our organizations when our life is healthy across all areas? Who doesn’t know a financially successful entrepreneur whose life is in tatters? Often times, in fact, we find that as we balance our lives, our productivity actually increases. Schedule your non-business calendar first.Īs entrepreneurs, we tend to justify our hectic lives by pretending that the world will stop rotating if we stop working. Do first what your heart and your mouth say is the most important. I believe that hope can be realized by an easy-to-understand yet difficult maneuver: Invert your life. Sadly, I know the challenge to balance my life with my work is a battle I’ll frequently lose. Yet, if you want proof, my checkbook and calendar may make an argument against me. If work is a given, which for most of us it is, and it takes a good half of our waking hours, what goes in the non-work/non-golf column of our lives? If you were to ask me, I’d say with a straight face that God and family are my number one and two priorities. For a lot of entrepreneurs, that addiction may be work. If you don’t play golf, you probably have something just as addictive in your life. It must be read about, practiced, played for four or more hours, driven to and from, shopped for and watched on TV. I value golf a lot, in dollars and in time. He has been an EO member for nearly two years and recently completed Forum Moderator Training.Ī friend of mine once told me that my checkbook and my calendar tell my story. Todd Brand is the president of Brand Asset Management Group, a fee-only wealth management, investment counsel and retirement planning company.