I travel more than 200,000 miles a year. I speak to more than 100,000 people. I deliver more than 150 speeches annually. At the same time, I have been married for 14 wonderful years, and have two delightful children whom I adore. So the question often gets posed, "How do you both? Aren't your goals in conflict with each other?" I ask myself that question every day.

Balance is a frequently used word. We all seem to be trying to find, achieve and maintain balance. I am not sure how realistic that is. If you were to put one foot in a bucket of boiling water and the other in a bucket of ice, on "average" you'd be just right-balanced. Rather than working to realize balance, I have been striving to achieve greater focus. When I am at work, I focus on work. When I am at home, I focus on my family. That doesn't mean I don't think of family while I work, or that I don't think of work while with my family-it just defines my major focus. All too often our minds are far from where our bodies are. When we are at work we wish we were at home, when we are at home we wish we were on vacation and when we are on vacation we bring along our work. This kind of fragmentation makes it difficult to do anything very well.

David O' McKay, a prominent religious leader in 1954 stated that, "No success can compensate for failure in the home." The greatest achievement I will ever aspire to will be found within the walls of my home and in the lives of my children. It is true that I am traveling nearly six months of every year. That's the bad news. The good news is, I am at home more than six months of the year. To add to that, when I am at home-I am at home.

When I am on the road, I carry a laptop with me to answer correspondence, return emails, plan strategy, write articles and do research. I rarely eat an in-flight meal, because that is 45 minutes to get more work done. The more I achieve on the road, the better I utilize my time, the more easily I can focus exclusively on my family when I come through the front door. This keeps me highly motivated. While at home, my goal is to only go into the office when my children are in school. My children are McKenzie (8) and Dalton (5). My office is attached to my home, with a separate outside entrance for employees, so that my entire commute takes only 9 seconds. There's never a traffic jam.

When I am on the road, I stay in constant contact with my family through phone calls, email, post cards and live streaming video. I take a digital camera on the road with me to take pictures of things my children would be interested in and email them home. My children, likewise, have their own digital camera and can take pictures of things of interest to them and email them back. Before I leave, I discuss with my children where I am going and what is unique about those areas. Boston for it's crabs. Seattle for its Salmon. Louisiana for its Cajun food. And, of course, Orlando for its Mouse. Once a month, my wife, Dallas, picks a city of interest and travels with me for a couple of days while the children spend time with grandparents. Once every three months, we take the whole family and stay for a week in such places as Hawaii, Bermuda, Atlanta, Orlando and the Bahamas. As my children are getting older, I am beginning to take them individually with me on the road to a variety of cities for a special "date with Dad."

I consider myself an ambitious person. However, I have no greater joy than when I am teaching, playing with, and enjoying my children. Balance is difficult to achieve. I find it easer to give everything I have; to work, when I am there with my audiences, and at home when I am with my wife and children. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Wherever you are, be there." The net result for me has been a greater satisfaction and joy. Here are some suggestions for you if you are struggling with the same "balancing" act:

1. Do everything you can to leave work at work.
2. When you're at home, focus your time, quantity and quality, on spending it with your family.
3. Children grow up fast. Create positive memories for them of your time together.
4. Involve your children in your work. Take them to work with you. Show them what you do.
5. Remember your family while involved at work. Take those few moments to make a call, send a post card or write an email.