Setting boundaries for work-life balance but not travel

“I think I have a record for striking out 8-year-olds,” said Michael Paul Hosford, a 17-year MDRT member from Bastrop, Texas.

That comes from his experience coaching his daughter’s softball team, an endeavor so important to Hosford that he has a policy not to miss practice or games during the season, even if it affects his work schedule. “I’m sure there’s an exception, but if I tell a client that it’s important to me and ask if we can meet the next day or the day after, they never care,” he said.

Hosford also makes sure the diamond isn’t the only place he spends family time. During the summer, they go on three weeks of vacation, with this summer including a trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and a trek taking them from the Grand Canyon to San Diego to the Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California, to the Bahamas.

Hosford is used to traveling in his business, and many years ago his recognition of how much time he’d be spending in small towns caused him to set another kind of boundary, this one to prevent not overworking but fast food:

“I haven’t had a french fry in 15 years,” he said.