I have known from the start that I needed to parent by example to have the impact that I want to on my kids lives. I want to do my absolute best to show them how to live a good life. Now a good life to me is one of kindness with a focus on being good to the people around you. It is also one where I work to live and not live to work. It is a core tenant of mine to invest my time in family, friends and the pursuit of getting better. I hope to show my kids how you can live a life that is balanced but also filled with progress.
I want my kids to see me making changes and improvements as they get old enough to recognize them to know that life is about growth. My goal is to have them growing up knowing that it is possible to have an amazing family life and still pursuit goals career or otherwise. It is not easy by any means but I have come to find that anything that brings value to my life comes with its own challenges and difficulties. I hope that my kids can come to see these as opportunities for growth and not reasons to quit.
I also hope to be as kind as possible to demonstrate that there is enough suffering out there and we should try to lift people up instead of tear them down whenever the opportunity presents itself. As I get older this approach just feels more and more important with all of the challenges that we are facing in this world. It is also worth stating that this kindness should be displayed to all creatures of this world and in fact the world itself. Learning to care for our planet at a young age will do wonders for world if it is a higher priority for the upcoming generations. The opportunities for kindness are all around us, I try and be as polite and thankful as possible whenever I interact with a retail worker or have a conversation with a stranger.
It is so important to me to be there for my kids but to also help pave the way to success. I must admit most of my challenge comes from trying to find the right balance between pursuit of goals and being there for my family. I have been struggling with this when it comes to BJJ I want to train as much as possible but find myself needed extra time with my wife by the end of the week for us to get in some quality time. Getting in lots of family time is a must but at a certain point demonstrating how to take care of yourself with fitness or make progress on goals helps them build an understanding of the work required to accomplish big goals. I want to be the best example I can be of kindness, goal accomplishing and health that I can be.
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