What I Learned about Success from My Newborn Son

I still can’t believe it happened.

After 8 months of preparation, and yet still sooner than I expected, my world had completely changed.

On May 5, 2017, at 2:24pm. ET, I joined an exclusive fraternal club only the best get into. This lifetime membership comes with innumerable benefits, but also comes with a ton of responsibilities.

It was on that pivotal day that I became a father.

As I stood there at my wife’s bedside watching my son being born, my mind was racing from one thought to the next. I can’t believe this is happening! Did we prepare enough? Is he healthy? Does he have all of my fingers and toes? Who does he look like? What kind of personality will he have?

Fortunately, a few days in, my mind has calmed down a bit. I’m really loving fatherhood and I’ve gladly accepted the challenge.

I’ve also learned a lot about my baby boy. Most notably, how much having a baby is like attaining success.

And so, I’ve prepared the top 3 things I learned about success from baby McDonald’s birth.

1. Success can come before you’re “ready”. Although we’ve been planning and preparing for our son’s grand entrance for nearly 9 months, his arrival came by surprise. I was extremely anxious as there were so many more things I still needed to do to feel like I was fully prepared for fatherhood. However, when I held my son in my hands for the first time, I knew I was ready. Success is exactly the same. You may not expect its arrival, and as much as you try to prepare, you will never feel ready until you stop planning and start doing.

2. Success is precious. Like a baby, your success can be very fragile, especially when first starting out. I’ve learned in my short time as a daddy that there are so many things that can go wrong it can drive a parent mad. What’s more, I can’t do some the things I did before, as my son could pick that up or I could end up hurting him. Similarly, one irate customer, lapse of judgment, or jaded peer and everything you’ve worked so hard for could disappear in a flash. Once you’ve achieved success, protect it at all costs with good judgment, superb customer service, and continual value.

3. Success is extremely hard work. As a new father, I’ve had to adjust to less sleep, more work, and sacrificing many of my extracurricular activities to take care of my newborn. Diaper changes, bottle after bottle, burpings, and generally catering to each and every one of my son’s needs… it’s a LOT of work. So it goes with success. To be successful, you must pour in a ton of effort into achieving your goals. Will it be challenging? Yes. Will it take work? Yes. But just like fatherhood, the reward is so immense that it outweighs all the work you’ll ever put into it.