For most of my responsible life, I haven't been all that motivated to do beyond what I naturally do. And what I normally tend to do is above average. For example, I would get good grades in high school and college without putting in too much work or effort. Because of this, I have been able to get by, so I never saw a need to better myself. When I married Nichole, I should have realized that because I would no longer be responsible for just myself, I should have made an effort to better myself, so that I would be able to do what is best for us. But I did not. Next thing I knew Jude was born and now it is not just me and Nichole but Jude as well. So now that I am responsible for helping to shape and mold this new soul, one would think I would get things figured out. But no. There is this man that I want to be, that I want Jude to look up to but I am not him. Wanting to be someone and being that person are two different things. My mother always said: "Wish in one hand, spit in the other. See which one fills up first." I can no longer just want to be that person. I need to start making the decisions that person would make. Once I start this, the decisions will be easier to make because I will start to become that person.
There is an awesome website called the ArtofManliness.com. One of there things is a series of articles entitled "30 Days to Be a Better Man." I'll go in to more detail about it later, but for starters, day 1 is define your core values. I have narrowed my core values to these 5:
Family
Integrity (incorporating honesty, trust, & dependability)
Love
Strength
Compassion
Let's get started!
