Do you love the sound of my melodic voice? Listen to this post instead.

Simply click on the image above  😉

So I’ve missed a few days. You may have noticed I didn’t publish anything for the past few weeks (even though I explicitly promised myself to write 1 new story every week).

So why did I break my promise?

Well, I have a good reason: I decided to focus on my family instead. Spending quality time with the ones I love the most comes even before writing to you!

I think the word “priority” would be much more fitting in this case. Because family has always been my number one priority.

I am who I am because of my family.

Looking back, I can see that my family’s influence on me has been incredibly significant, both on a personal and entrepreneurial level.

My family helped me establish my values and beliefs. These same values and beliefs are now an integral part of my business identity.

My family members have also been an endless source of inspiration. I remember when my dad had just retired from the army. He had a pension, but it barely covered our living expenses.

So he did what he had to do: he rolled up his sleeves and moved to Moscow so he could find a job and support me and my mom. The crazy thing is that he didn’t know anyone in Moscow, so he just had to take a leap of faith, hoping that things would work out.

And they did. Even though it was extremely hard in the beginning and I’m sure there were plenty of times when he felt miserable, but he never complained because he was doing it for his family.

Having a role model like this has definitely affected me.

Fast-forward 14 years. I live in Canada and I’m happily married and have a cat. 😻

I’m truly happy, yet I remember it taking some time to get here.

I remember the days when I stared at the screen, not knowing if I would ever work as a translator again.

I remember gruesome months without any job prospects.

I remember thinking that if we moved to Canada, I’d have to start over  and I would never be able to cover our living expenses with jobs from the low-paying Russian translation agencies that I was working for at that time.

Yet I survived.

In part it was thanks to the role model I had when I was a kid, but more importantly, it has been thanks to the support of the most amazing woman in the galaxy – my wife.

She has been there for me every single step of the way. She encourages me to keep going. She motivates me to follow my dreams. She carefully listens to all of my crazy business ideas (and let’s face it, all entrepreneurs are crazy).

But above all, she never stops believing in me, no matter how hard it is.

So now you see why my family is the greatest reason for not writing you. They’re not my excuse, they’re my world. And to tell you the truth, I’d be lost without them.

But why bring that up in this newsletter?

You see, in our never-ending chase for inspiration and happiness we often forget to look around us.

We’re always plugged in. Always online. Always learning from the best people in the industry. The leaders, the experts, the thinkers, the gurus.

But more often than not we’re just a bunch of online strangers. We cease to exist once you unplug.

But there are people who will never cease to exist and they’re closer than you think. They are the people who know you – the people who love and support you.

And I use every single opportunity to cherish those people and let them know how much they mean to me. After all, I am who I am thanks to them.

So once you unplug after reading this sentimental letter, go on and call or tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.

Tell them how they inspire you. Tell them how much you love them. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, and you’ll feel incredibly inspired –inspired by real people who are always there for you.

~ D.K. (proofread by J.T.)

This is something I wrote for my mailing list, Dmitry’s Rebel Club. If you found it valuable, if it resonates with you, you can sign up below to get articles like this one every Sunday right into your inbox (plus you’ll get access to all of my previous articles).