Beyond The Business Resume (The Friday Ficks S6 E2)

Moments we hadn’t visited in decades were suddenly streaming across my laptop, then our television. Grainy. Unpolished. Imperfectly perfect.

How? My wife gave me a Christmas gift that stopped time - by reminding me how fast it actually moves.

She digitized 30 years of home movies.

There we were, watching the moments after our second daughter, Sarah Joy, was born on January 2, 2005. Tiny fingers. Exploring eyes. Robust wailing. Exhausted smiles. A brand-new life, just beginning.

A blink later and she has turned 21. College student at Auburn University. A semester in Italy. Confident, curious, stretching herself into the world.

It was a powerful reminder that while we spend enormous energy refining our business CVs - titles, promotions, credentials, awards - we’re quietly writing another résumé altogether: our life CV. The one that doesn’t list what we achieved, but who we became. How present we were. How often we showed up. Who we helped nurture and grow.

Time doesn’t just pass - it accelerates. One day you’re rocking a newborn at 3 a.m.; the next you’re marveling at the adult they’ve become.

Parenting - like leadership and mentoring - isn’t about control. It’s about stewardship. You pour in values, encouragement, and belief, knowing full well the goal is for them to outgrow your guidance.

And when they do - when they step boldly into their own story - it’s deeply satisfying in a way no professional milestone can match.

If someone reviewed your life CV, what would stand out? Who have you invested in? Who is better because you cared?

Because in the end, it’s not what we built - it’s who we helped launch into the world.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl