Oh my gosh, I was the proudest dad this week when my 7 year old son came home wearing this sticker. This kid is fast. He just got made a coach at his school. It took me 37 years before that was my career!
It was back in 2010 when Monique and I found out that she was pregnant with a boy.
I went to my Men’s Group and told them that I was afraid.
I said, “What on earth do I know about how to help him become a man? I barely know how to be a man myself…”
My friends gave me two pieces of advice that transformed my life:
- Don’t worry about trying to teach him to be a man. He will teach you everything you need to know.
- When it comes to parenting, you can’t get it right!
The Power of Play
I am about to head off for a month in Croatia, with the family. Other than running a Deep Dive, I will be using my boys as my role models and taking time just to play.
You see, when I grew up I learned the importance of working hard. Now, that’s not a bad lesson to teach your kids. Except, if you forget to teach them the importance of recovery.
Even Olympic athletes take 3 months off a year.
Yet many of the highly successful leaders I know, treat their life and business like an endless series of marathons, instead of a bunch of sprints with time for self-care in between.
They’re exhausted but the more successful they become, the more they have to lose and the harder it becomes to switch off… They’re highly successful but they’re burned out…
Kaleo came home from school the other day and said to me, “Dad, we were learning ‘catchphrases’ at school today. Like Nike’s is ‘Just do it.’ So I put up my hand and said, my Dad has a catchphrase!”
I laughed and said, “Really? What’s mine?”
“Slow down to speed up!” he replied.
Oh my gosh, I thought. I have never explicitly taught him that phrase but he’s heard me saying it to clients or on stage at my Intensives and it’s sunk in.
Want to know why that’s the one phrase that has transformed my life more than any other? Want to know why I teach this concept in everything I do?
It’s because I need to hear it. Again. And again. And again.
Look at this photo of me at 5 years old. This was before I got burned out from the pressure of working too hard. Before I learned to seek recognition by working long, long hours. And before I took on a message that being a driven leader was sometimes too high a price to pay.
My kids are fantastic reminders of the importance of play, fun and genuine silliness!
So, as I pack for my month long adventure in Europe, here’s me and the family wishing you a prosperous and playful week!
Slow down to speed up, this summer. Your family will thank you for it. Your body will thank you for it. And your clients will thank you for it.
Love. Rich