Who Is the Six Million Dollar Dad?
I wasn’t raised in the 70’s, but I always remembered hearing about the Six Million Dollar Man. Steve Austin, a fictional character, is severely injured as a pilot and then rebuilt into a bionic man. The operation cost 6 million dollars and left him “bigger, faster, stronger” than before.
It took a while, but during my own “rebuild” as a dad, I realized the similarity to the fictional character and what I was doing. As a father, I felt like I found a low a few years back and began working on myself to be a better father and husband. That was my crash, and what you read in this blog is my “rebuild”.
Bigger, faster, stronger is the theme of my rebuild, but it’s not just a physical fix. I’m focusing on 6 main areas of my life. When I have an issue in an area, I’ll dig to the root cause and try to learn from it. Here are the 6 key areas of improvement:
Family
My main focus is to be a better husband and father. Continue to improve each day with showing my love to them and modeling behaviors and habits that have helped me. A happy and stable home is a key to child development and fostering a loving relationship with your spouse.
Financial
A top stressor for many people, you’ve got to have a plan for your finances. Debt will keep you awake at night. Understanding what you have, your financial limits and having a plan for your future can relieve stress and provide a clear picture of your future.
Health and Fitness
I have to take care of this body. For years, I neglected my health and fitness and I couldn’t keep up with my kids. I want to be around for my grandkids and great-grandkids. Taking care of my health and fitness is the way to be here.
Business
Most people spend more time with their work family than they do with their own family. Getting your priorities straight with work is a huge task. The ability to wake up in the morning and know you’ll enjoy your day is highly underrated. Working until retirement may be good for some, but I want to enjoy my work so much that it’s a part of my life forever.
Mental
This may be the toughest area to fix. We’re never really taught how to handle our emotions and mental challenges growing up. It’s a trial by fire in most instances. Trying to re-work impulses, from anger, jealousy, temptation, etc, is a difficult process. Working to recognize those impulses is a start. The mind is a tricky muscle, but the most important in the rebuilding process. It’s the engine for the hot rod.
Spiritual
Most would put spiritual with mental, but I separate the two because this is the most complex area. Understanding your place in this world and the next is pretty tricky. I’m not here to push any agendas, just to try and understand where I fit in this world.
As this blog progresses, I’ll work to keep the posts focused on these areas of improvement. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll post more in-depth information on what I’m doing in each area and what I think can help anyone improve in each area.
If you see anything that I’m missing, please feel free to comment. My hope is to create a community of discussion and help.
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