b'LIFE MANAGEMENTWHY SMART PEOPLE STAY STUCK (AND WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO CHANGE)By: Ray Gage, Founder of UntappedY ou read the first two articles. Youswimming in a cultural ocean that actively fights every nodded along. Maybe you evenchange you attempt.had that moment of recognition Think about it. You decide to leave at 5 PM to have dinner seeing how the scripts and expectationswith your family. But then:were driving the imbalance in your life.You get it now. Work-life balance is aYour superintendent texts about tomorrows concrete trap. Youve been performing roles youpour. Your client calls with just a quick question. Your never auditioned for. The invisible theater is real, andcrew chief needs approval on overtime. The material you can see it clearly. supplier screws up the delivery, and suddenly everyones looking at you to fix it.So why are you still checking emails at 9 PM? You could ignore all of it. Stick to your boundaries. Let Why did you still stay late last Tuesday when your projectproblems sit until morning.manager could have handled the client call? Why areBut heres what happens: The culture punishes you for it.you still the first one on-site and the last to leave, even though you know this pattern is killing your health, yourNot deliberately. Not maliciously. But consistently and relationships, and probably your business? effectively.Heres the brutal truth: Individual awareness crashesThe Construction Culture Trapheadfirst into systemic culture every single time. Our industry has built a mythology around sacrifice that Andinconstruction,thatcollisionisparticularlymakes balanced leadership feel like professional suicide.devastating. The Availability Myth: Good contractors are always The Smart Persons Dilemma reachable. If youre not answering your phone, you dont Youre not stuck because you dont understand thecare enough.problem. Youre stuck because youre trying to solveThe Control Myth: Successful owners handle everything an individual problem with individual solutions whilepersonally.Delegationshowsweaknessorlackof 10 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'