I remember watching an episode of Heroes a few years ago, and something that was said has really stuck with me ever since. One of the characters - I don't remember now who - said to another, "You can have a life of happiness, or a life of meaning. You can't have both".

There's never enough time in a day to do everything we want, which means there's a constant conflict between the priorities in our life. They're all battling for our time and attention. When you find a calling, a passion, a way to change the world or leave your mark, it usually comes hand in hand with long hours and dedication to achieve success. Unfortunately this usually comes at the expense of time spent on the things that make us happy, like family and friends. Small business owners would know the feeling well.

Ben Casnocha discusses the difference between a career and a calling, and the cost of pursuing success. "If you have a job / career you have plenty of time and energy for your own family, but it's maybe harder to change the world with your professional work. If you want a calling, you don't have time for a family."

Michael Lewis explains - "A job will never satisfy you all by itself, but it will afford you security and the chance to pursue an exciting and fulfilling life outside of your work. A calling is an activity you find so compelling that you wind up organizing your entire self around it -- often to the detriment of your life outside of it.

It's such a common issue within a lot of families where parents spend all their time at work, pursuing success. It's something I always struggled to do with my own family. Being a small business owner (I’ve had a small business for the last 25 years) at the same time as having media commitments, I was often stretched thin between keeping the business afloat while trying to bring up 4 kids. But somehow, with the help of Lib, I managed alright and found a healthy balance.

I’m lucky that I’ve been in jobs where I’ve been able to follow passions which give my life some meaning. From helping the people of East Timor to pushing for a national authority for Organ Transplant and being involved with wonderful organizations such as Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets.

Sometimes you have to make a choice, whether to have a family or a calling - a life of happiness or a life of meaning. But sometimes you just want it all, and that's when you have to find a balance and keep both sides in perspective.

For me it was always about setting boundaries. I would work long and hard, but made sure there were things that would override all else, things like going to Saturday morning sports games, being home for dinner at least a few nights a week, coaching the kids' teams.

Now that I've “Matured” I can see that these sort of commitments to family are invaluable, and so much more important than anything else. In the end you have to decide what's most important. For me though, of all the other successes, it's the success of a healthy marriage and having brought up 4 (usually) wonderful kids which makes me proudest.