I’ve heard from a number of people that V-REEL™ is simple to grasp and can be applied to diverse situations, but Mark and Bethany Douglass’s use of the framework as a tool for long-term family thinking still surprises me. They each run businesses, and together they are parenting four kids and a Labrador, so they definitely need to think strategically!
V-REEL™ for the whole family
This pair is well-practiced at employing the V-REEL™ framework. Mark leads operations for Fidelis Creative Agency, a creative design business he runs with his brother Tim Douglass. Bethany runs a popular lifestyle blog, Cloistered Away, which focuses on purposeful living. But what’s unique about their situation is how they’ve been adapting the V-REEL™ framework to their family life. Part I of our conversation in Episode 17 covered how and why they introduced V-REEL™ to their kids and how using enabling and eroding factors helps them all (even the nine-year-old) with decision making. Strategic thinking for kids! I love it!
Here in Part Two, Mark and Bethany talk about how the L in V-REEL™, Longevity, helps them carry out their family mission statement— training their children in an atmosphere that seeks creativity, education, and fosters the entrepreneurial spirit in their kids.
Bethany is quick to point out that as a family, they apply V-REEL™ to more than business/financial decisions. It also works with abstract and emotional goals and helps the kids better understand who they are. When something comes up, she’s able to say,
“Let’s talk about how you’re responding to the circumstance. How is working for you and how it’s working against you,” she said.
Looking toward the long-term future
They use V-REEL™ to discuss with their kids whether they want to continue playing basketball on a team and how to handle their tempers. V-REEL™ helps them vision cast for their kids but also helps Mark and Bethany to maintain perspective. They both clearly recognize that they are at the core of everything they do, and that all their efforts, in homeschooling, parenting, and business, are really long-term endeavors.
“When we’re trying to build something that lasts for generations, it’s like an orchard or vineyard,” Mark said. “The payoff for that is so long, it only makes sense when you see the long term.”
I’m impressed with the way Mark and Bethany are utilizing V-REEL™ with their kids. Mark’s even been teasing me about V-REEL™ for family counseling, which I probably find funnier than he does. But the takeaway here is that V-REEL™ gives you a strategy that informs your thinking and reorganizes how you respond in any setting, business or otherwise. Listen in for more details on how the Douglass family uses V-REEL™ to think strategically together.