Live a DOUBLE LIFE if you’re a CEO, manager or entrepreneur.

It will make you happier. You read that right. Live a double life!

If you want to be happier in your personal relationships and especially in your home life you must learn to live a double life.

Let me explain. Life is made up of rules. We have rules to obey when we are driving. We have rules and policies at work we have to abide by. Rules are everywhere.

But here is where a huge problem lies. If you want happiness at home and with friends and family you CAN NOT use the same rules at the office or in your business as you do at home.

After my mother divorced my father she remarried a high ranking military officer and wow did I pay the price.  He ran the house like it was a military base camp. It made for a very unhappy home. He needed to live a double life of standards but certainly had no idea how to.

The military has to be run very strict and very ridged. Without it countries will be destroyed and fall apart. Our personal lives need not be run like a military or so rigid. 

We should not expect to have family and friends abide by our business or company rules and policies.

Let me elaborate. Years ago I hired someone that started being late for meetings. There are three things I don’t tolerate. One is lying, the second are excuses and the third are people who are always late.

One day I arrive at the airport and this person isn’t on time. I jump in my plane and start to taxi and as I look back I noticed she had just arrived. 

Oh well! I kept going and took off. Needless to day that business relationship didn’t last long. That’s how I run my business. But I have learned that is not a standard I can ‘run’ with my friends and family with.

I have learned to live a double standard. It’s okay for my friends to be late because I have different home life rules from my company rules. This allows me to be more patient as well.

I don’t have to run my home life as rigid and tight as I run my company. 

If you ever come in my company plane you’ll see that everything is perfect. It’s always clean, organized and well taken care off.

If you were to come to my house right now, you’ll see I live by a different set of rules or my double standards. 

My new bird, Winnie, has toys all over the floor. I’d never allow stuff like that all over my office. But I’m not going to use the same rules at home as I use to run my company.

Here is how you can apply this if you have kids and especially teenagers that will keep them happier by not having them live by so many rules. Not to mention you’ll be much happier too if you’re up for the challenge.

Let’s take a teenager for example. Give them 3 or 4 ‘rules’ that are musts. Such as don’t do anything that can put you in jail or that is illegal. Second could be no sex. Third, be honest and respectful. And fourth could be home on time for curfew.

These are the 4 major rules you expect them to follow. Notice nothing in the rules say their rooms must be clean. Nothing says they have to clean all the dishes. Nothing says they have to eat everything on their plate and we could go on and on with many more demands that are not listed that parents place on kids.

Do you see the point? It’s not to say that you want your kids to never clean their rooms and never help out with chores. You have to determine with your own family where your going to bend and flex and not be so rigid so they don’t feel emotionally suffocated. 

If you use the same rigid rules at the office as you do at home you won’t have a happy home. Learn to let go and give up some of your own emotional control.

Now it’s time to have a family meeting, set three or four rules that must be followed then next go live a double life and enjoy it!