As I write this, I am 35-thousand feet above the ground hurtling away from my family at a rate of 450 miles per hour, bound for Los Angeles.

I remember a time in my life when I thought this was cool – visiting far-off places, eating funky foods and breaking from the routine of life. While I still enjoy those things, they are most enjoyable when shared with my wife.

I am en route to a business meeting that will consist of around 60 of my peers. Confession time – I am not a fan of business trips. But I bet if I were to poll my peers on how much they enjoy business trips, I would get a variety of responses.

Some of these folks likely share my distaste for business travel. For some this trip is probably a welcome break. It may be an escape from a chaotic home situation.

There are homes filled with newborn cries. There is the stress of sick or aging parents. There are likely marriages in crisis. There are teenager troubles…terrible twos…teething tots. There is the lingering pain of lost loved ones.

I know this to be true, because my home has been filled with many of these same struggles. Our house is often loud. We often forget to be patient with each other. We fail to recognize that others in the house might have had an even worse day than we did.

On any given day, there can be all sorts of challenges awaiting me when I walk through the door.

But I love it. The highlight of most of my days is when I walk through that door.

As crazy as my home can be, it is also a source of peace in my life. It is the space where I get to fulfill my greatest calling. It is where I practice humility, patience and grace – where I can fail miserably at those traits and know I won’t be fired. It is where I am a respected leader and where I am being led.

It is my oasis. And I do everything in my power to ensure I spend as much time there as possible.

I work extremely hard to protect my time with my family. This means I can carry a lot of stress at work as I do all in my power to leave on time each day. Time management is essential in my life.

When it’s not possible to complete my weekly work within 40 hours, I go in early (versus staying late) to add productive time. If I don’t have minutes to spare, I avoid small talk and stay laser-focused on my tasks. I work through lunches, and I don’t schedule meetings that aren’t essential.

I go to great lengths and shoulder a lot of weight to consistently walk through my garage door around the same time each evening.

And it is so worth it. My greatest achievements each day don’t happen at work. They happen in my home when I am present with my wife and kids. I cannot wait to get home!