“No success in life can compensate for failure in the home”

I have an acquaintance of several years, whose wife is a very dear friend of my wife. I'll just call them John & Melinda. (You know,the names have been changed to protect the “innocent”.)

Until a couple years back, this man had a very secure job with the state in which he resides. The family lives in a quiet rural town, 150 miles from the urban center of the region....pretty cool situation. To be able to live in a clean air environment, removed from the “rat race” of today's hustles and hassles, yet still providing a “big city” income and where you know everyone and they know you is but a dream for most Americans!

John left his state career-level position. His writing career had caught fire. He and Melinda believed that his side business had “made it”. He authors e-book content and initially sold through Clickbank, using concepts of Affiliate Marketing, and presently also sells though a series of personally owned websites. Additionally, he has begun teaching his methods as an additional stream of income. John presently has over 20 websites registered to him.

I would normally applaud John for his success. Over time, as his “success” seemed to soar, John began withdrawing from his family...mostly from his wife. John's parents live near the urban center. John often found reason to spend long periods working from his parents' home, 150 miles from Melinda and their young boys.

Upon awaking one day to prepare for his departure for one of these long breaks, John left a note for Melinda requesting a divorce and outlining the terms he expected. During the process of filing, John has declared that he has virtually no income to provide child support or any form of spousal support. His parents bought John a new home near the urban center. Yet one of his demands is to sell the family's home, and the boys go live with him. Melinda can fend for herself, paying him child support.

I recently visited a few of John's websites, some of which focus on a positive message of a happy, joyful life. They seem to be operational and bear today's date. One even shows a family photo. One site brags on his making over $100,000 dollars per year beneath the current date! I have heard it said that “No success in life can compensate for failure in the home”. It is true that I have only heard part of the story. However, if even half is true, John is a living example of the antithesis of the Righteous Entrepreneur.