Tag: Son

Attitude is everything, blah, blah, blah…

Uncle Grandpa title slide

 

(photo: Last night during the Cartoon Network premier revealing of the Aunt Grandma character… a big deal to a 14-year old)

Conversations are endless. And everywhere. Short ones. Long ones. Happy ones. Not-so-happy ones.

Dad: Son, it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond to what happens to you. Bad things happen to everyone, and for their entire life.

Son: Silent, but obviously his mind is working overtime.

Dad: We are in control of our attitude and we create the habits that either favor us or don’t.

Bottom line, another in a long list of deposits into the mind of a future adult.

Today’s mental thought continues with a physical thought for the day at the Next Blog

The opportunity for unbelievable days is limitless

Main Street USA early morning

 

(photo: Is 7:30am the right time, on a Tuesday?)

When is the time right for an unbelievable day?

The opportunity for unbelievable days is limitless. What if we began the day praying, reading, thinking, writing. What if we acted as if we had actually made time for this?

Sharpening the saw as the saying goes. Could an ordinary day be given new life?

Instead of simply driving directly to the hotel parking lot and making a bee line for the classroom we did this…

We rethink the start of the day.

We drive first to the city shuttle, park there instead of the hotel and ride the shuttle to the north end of town. Then we could walk beneath the city and come up on the south end, down by Main Street. Take a brief stroll down Main Street before traffic gets busy, then cut over to the local Hotel to get to the classroom where we’d be a student for a week learning from one of the world’s most admired companies.

Simple pleasures taken for granted.

Dreams?

No, not really.

This is a common privilege, rarely taken.

But not yesterday.

And so it goes, one day and then another.

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Dear Son, there’s more to life, but if these four aren’t done, nothing else matters

Florida wildflower
Nature and life and humans – and choices

 

(this post applies to all of us, not just the 13 year old)

Dear Son, life is hard.

Here’s a recap of the top four things, in order, for you:

  1. Honesty
  2. Behave admirably
  3. Self control
  4. Personal responsibility

There’s more to life, but if these four aren’t done, nothing else matters.

Next Blog

He Said Pushing His Son To Excel Pushed Him Away

We spent the weekend at Disney instead of going camping.
Kids (especially great spellers) notice the coolest things, like misspellings.

Going through each day of our lives, we are presented with a multitude of free learning opportunities. I often wonder how many I miss and how others feel about this concept.

Yesterday in North Carolina, in complete casual conversation, I asked a stranger if he had any advice on raising boys, since his boy is almost 18. He said, “Communication“.

He pushed his son so hard in sports that his son started to pull away and retreat – while they we’re together. It was no longer fun for the boy to be with his Dad, during years 12-14.

Duly noted.

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Dear Son, Gone Are The Plans And Security Our Former Life Savings Afforded

Leave no trace of bitterness nor negativity.

Dear Son, the dreams we had of buying this thing or that, plus the security of having a rainy day fund – it all vanished. A poor attitude would have focused on this. Instead, the joy and sense of completeness we felt, and still feel, can not be bought at any earthly price. That is what a positive attitude will buy you.

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