I've been there, done that.

Recognition and Acceptance

 

I realized that all of the dreams, aspirations, and goals I had for myself -- to guide the business that I own to great heights of success, to take care of my family, to provide for them and for their families, to find fulfillment, to be healthy and fit, to feel love and happiness everyday, to leave a legacy, to help and inspire others, to make a difference, to help my wonderful wife find her path and calling and to support her in her pursuit of it, as well as finding my own purpose and calling in life, and to then find the courage and faith in myself to pursue it -- was totally and completely dependent on me getting my own house (read: getting my shit) in order.

 

In order for me to help my business, my family, and others, I needed to start with myself first.

 

In order for me to have any hope of achieving any of what I listed above, I first needed to become the person that I wanted to be. 

 

I had to constantly and continuously work on knowing, understanding, improving, and loving myself.

 

I came to understand that any improvements I was going to make in any of my endeavors — especially business — would stem from the improvements I first had to make in myself.

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Where This Led Me

 

So I started to work on getting better.  Every day. In lots of different ways.

I focused on a number of different areas:

 

* Diet (I ate horribly.)

* Exercise (I hardly ever did, and if I did, I’m sure I was doing it wrong.)

* Mental and spiritual (Vacant.)

* Parental and spousal (Let’s not go there.)

* Professional and personal development (for a business owner, I wasn’t a very good leader.)

 

Through my efforts, I learned how to eat sensibly, in a way that agreed with and nurtured my body.

 

I learned how to exercise in a way that helped me reach my physical goals and make exercise something to look forward to instead of a crucible by which to punish myself for past transgressions.

 

I learned how to be present with my wife and children, to appreciate them, and to cherish the time I spend with them.  I now know how my well-being, balance, and self-awareness (or lack thereof) affects my ability to be a father and husband.

 

I learned the power of mindfulness.

 

I became self-aware.

 

I learned to be comfortable with myself, and to understand that I am not defined by my thoughts.

 

I learned acceptance — accepting things and addressing them as they are, instead of trying to alter reality in order to fit my expectations.

 

I came to understand the necessity of solitary thought and time spent in contemplation.

 

I learned how to be kind to myself and love myself for who I am by understanding myself better and knowing my motivations and personality traits.

 

I learned how important it is to have my health and wellness and sense of self intact in times of stress and turmoil, and how important it is to have mechanisms in place to combat that stress.

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I found and  engaged with my own coach to help me gain clarity and alignment — and we’re still working together.

 

Going Forward

 

My lessons learned are the result of a number of different practices and habits that I adopted over a period of time. 

 

My goal is to help others benefit from my on-going journey and to serve as an example to them of what they might achieve — as it has evolved from the business-focused beginning to include areas of health, wellness, and personal development, as well as business-centric areas.

 

I hope that my experiences shed some light on some maybe unfamiliar topics or areas for improvement in life, and hopefully inspire a few laughs (at my expense, of course).  As a student of life, I still have a long way to go, and I will continue to try to improve myself and experiment with new practices while making them relatable and beneficial to others.