The New Year’s Resolution for Dads: Progress vs. Perfection
I will let you in on a secret…as dads we will make mistakes and a lot of them.
Being a father can be the most rewarding thing in the world. However, it can also humble you like nothing else.
In so many areas in our life we strive for “PERFECTION.” Our media and society is always reminding us on the perfect things we should have in our lives. We need to have: the perfect house, car, family, physical beauty, popularity, etc. The list of “ideas of perfection” is endless. The real trap is when we focus so much on those “perfect ideals”, that we lose sight of the small every day victories.
REAL SITUATION:
Sometimes when we decide to improve an area in our lives, we set that goal and bar so high. There are times when we TEMPORARILY fall off the wagon, we have a tendency to throw our hands up and give up.
This happens all time when we attempt a new weight loss program….
We have all intentions of eating clean all the time. We have all intentions of never eating anything unhealthy again. We go several days of eating clean and trips to the gym. We start to feel good, but in the back of our primal minds, we feel those cravings getting stronger for all that stuff we used to eat.
Then, it happens…
We give into our cravings.
It’s Monday Night Football. We dive right into the moment with some pizza, chips, and beer. You completely blow your new found way of eating healthy and staying active in that one night.
What happens next?
We feel awful and guilty. We give up on our new found healthy lifestyle b/c we know we cannot do it 100% of the time.
Don’t fall into this trap…viewing a goal like this will only set you up for failure. It is OK to indulge every now and again. The most important thing is that you don’t beat yourself up so much that you don’t get back on the wagon.
Instead of focusing so much time and attention on that one slip up, give yourself a pat on the back for all the clean meals and trips to the gym.
Focus on your Progress and Not Perfection.
Please share this with a Dad you know who has made a New Years Resolution for Better Health. Also, please leave a comment below.
Thanks Larry! This is good stuff!
As you know I’m a new dad (very exciting) and I’m trying to get a routine/schedule figured out so I can maximize my day – work, family time, work out, etc. I don’t want to take away from any family time, but I can’t miss out on the work day either. Any tips on how to (re)arrange my schedule? Thanks!
What’s up Drew! I saw on FB you are a new Dad! Congrats Man!
One of the most difficult things we do as Dads is “Juggle.” By “Juggling,” I mean we are constantly pulled in every direction. When we add a new born to the mix, it definitely becomes more complex. Here are some quick tips that will help maximize work time, family time, and staying healthy.
1. Schedule Time for all activities – Every Sunday evening look at your calendar and decide when you are going to be working, spending time with family, and working out. Sounds like overkill right? It isn’t. When you “schedule” those activities you are truly in the moment and not preoccupied by what else you should be doing during that scheduled activity. Sticking to a schedule will help maximize your family time because you know you have carved out other time for work, working out, social demands, etc.
2. Cook in “BULK”– As families we spend a lot of time cooking dinner for that one night. In our house, we usually try to have “Cooking Days.” We usually cook for the week on Sundays and Wednesdays. This way we aren’t spending an hour every night cooking. It gives us that hour with the kids vs. cooking. It also takes the guess work of deciding what’s for dinner.
3. Have a Sunday Night “Pow-Wow” with the Wife– Make it a point to sit down at least once per week with the wife and talk about the demands, activities, and commitments that are coming up for that week. We just started doing this as well and it has really made a difference. Another perk, is that you carve out time to connect and talk with your spouse. With the demands of a newborn, sometimes it is so difficult to sit down for just one hour and talk. We literally spend about 10-15 minutes talking about our schedules for the week and then get lost in great conversation. It is pretty awesome.
Hope that helps. There are several tips…but here are a few that have made a quick difference in our lives. Thanks Drew!