You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Celebrate the Little Successes as a Salve Against the Bruises of Entrepreneurship and Parenthood When you're juggling two jobs -- entrepreneur and parent -- the days seem endless and the nights can feel just as long. And let's just admit one thing: there's very little reward, or it seems that way.

By Jim Joseph

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

When you're juggling two jobs -- entrepreneur and parent -- the days seem endless and the nights can feel just as long. And let's just admit one thing: there's very little reward, or it seems that way.

Because we are in it for the long haul, we don't mind too much. We know the reward comes in the end: happy, healthy and successful children and hopefully a business that's either hit critical mass or is up for sale.

We hope for big payoffs in both directions! Wouldn't that be amazing?

The problem is those successes are a long time coming and we rarely get glimpses of them happening. There's always something wrong. There's always a hiccup.

Related: 5 Philosophies That Will Help You on Your Path to Success

How do you do both successfully? How do you max out both sides of life's equation?

That question is nearly impossible to answer. So we keep plowing ahead, and keep hoping that we will reach our goal: happy kids and a successful business.

This is exactly why it's so important to celebrate the little things in life, both personally and professionally, along the way.

When we were raising our young kids at home, we would try to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, just for the experience of it all -- gingerbread house kits at Christmas, school projects on the kitchen table, taco night with all the fixings prepped in bowls.

We always tried to make these little events feel special.

When I had my own marketing agency, we would celebrate the milestones there as well: the launch of big campaigns, internal promotions, new business wins. Everything was a reason to say "cheers!"

Related: Forget Big Goals. Take Baby Steps for Small, Daily Wins.

These little moments, celebrated big, would keep us engaged and aligned, regardless of how long and tough the days and nights felt. The kids went to bed happy, and our employees went home fulfilled, maybe not every day, but most of the time.

At least that was the goal. With a long-term goal so far out -- college for the kids and selling the agency -- we had to have milestones along the way.

It certainly helped me to enjoy the journey, I can tell you that.

I chronicled the journey in my new book Out and About Dad as a way to celebrate what I've accomplished. I have two happy, healthy and successful kids and I've moved on from my own little startup to a global brand-communications firm.

I'll take it, and all the bumps and bruises along the way. Yes, I wrote about those too -- the journey wouldn't be complete without them.

Related: 10 Ways You're Already a Success

Jim Joseph

Marketing Master - Author - Blogger - Dad

Jim Joseph is a commentator on the marketing industry. He is Global President of the marketing communications agency BCW, author of The Experience Effect series and an adjunct instructor at New York University.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.