My husband, Michael, a manager of an ordinary company, came home from work one day saying, "It's not looking good." At midnight,I woke up seeing him sitting in a chair,his hand on his forehead. I was worried.I had to cheer him up and help ourselves financially. As an advisor for top companies and a teacher in creative thinking at the college of New Jersey for years, I thought of a good plan. What if we undertake an adventure while making money from it? As a family, we'd always talked about traveling more, but we'd been tied to routines. Now I saw no point in sitting around worrying when we could see the country. We'd take our three young kids, teach them on the road. It was the perfect time before they reached high school. We'd rent out our house. Michael disagreed at first but realized that with his cell phone, and computer, he could work anywhere. We listed our house for rent and created a brand strategy, logo, and website for us---familyofftrack.com---and persuade five companies to support us. Their ads on our site would help pay travel costs, and we'd promote their brands on our trip in exchange for their support. With everything done, we took off on April 3. All spring and summer, we visited national landmarks and treasured lands. By August when we returned home, Michael's company continued to slide and now may have to close down. But we've made the travel a permanent part of our lives. What's more, with a Chicago-based production company I've developed the Family Off Track brand by creating videos, educational programs and exhibits. And Michael has new ideas for management businesses. It's great to see the spark in his eyes again. Now I feel it even more. Together we taught our kids a lesson: Nobody ever made history by living 100 percent by the book in times of recession . The family's story is a good example to prove that.
Every man is the architect of his own fortune A good fame is better than a good face An ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever