As a father and business owner, I have to lead. Over the last few years, I have realized It is my responsibility to guide my daughters and my staff to live the best life possible. After high school, I was fortunate to attend the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. This formal leadership school taught me to always lead from the front. To not ask anyone to do what I am not willing to do.
This approach resonates with me daily. I live by the mantra “do what I do, not what I say.” By thinking this way, I have helped educate others in the simplicity of daily movement. Through my daily activities and the Performance Ranch, YouTube channel I get to show others what good movement looks like. I know there is a lot of information out there on what to eat and how to exercise. I have tried to simplify the approach with basic foundational principles. Principles that help guide the approach we take daily.
Our Kids Are Watching
Being a father, I have heard this many times. I know that our children model us from the time they are born. They imprint on us and learn behavior from us. If we want our children to live healthy lives and value good nutrition, daily exercise, etc. Then we as parents need to do what we ask of our children to do. We need to show them the way, we are their guides and teachers. If you think our schools are going to show them, you are mistaken. We need to get outside and play with your kids. Take them to the park, and enjoy being a kid again.
One simple thing I did 15 years ago was got a dog. And not just any dog, I got a high-energy labrador retriever from a lab rescue group. My first lab Diego was my opportunity to learn to train a dog. Since then, we have raised 5 labs and currently, I am training our 2 newest editions, Remi and Blu. This has been a great time for my 8-year-old daughter and me to bond and train them together. This has been teaching us patience (something she does not have a lot of) and confidence. As a dog owner, you must be confident to be a leader for your dog.
I feel that teaching my daughters to be calm and confident will help them as they grow into adults. I heard a great quote from the president of Chick-Fil-a, “Children are messengers we send to a time we will not see.” This quote had me think of what I can teach my children to help the world when they are ready.
Practice Patience
Just like training a dog, patience is the key to success. I have found being patient with myself and those around me decreases my overall stress. I have to work on this daily, sometimes multiple times a day. I am the type of person that wants everything done a particular way, my way 😂. Through meditation and prayer practice, I have learned to let things go and give up control. I have gained a stronghold on my mental space by using the Calm app and the Holy Bible app as my resources.
Daily meditation and breathwork with your children can help settle them down and focus. My youngest daughter listens to the Calm app to help her sleep and also help her focus on homework. We have her put on her headphones with a playlist she picks from Calm and she gets to work. In college I discovered I focus better with headphones and music that does not have any lyrics. This led me to listen to techno music. Currently, I use the Calm app during my workday with some type of electronic beats. This is how I am able to write these blog posts. Without background music, I am unfocused and unmotivated.
I challenge each one of you to find something you want your children to learn to do and do it with them. Make it fun, ask them what they want to do. You may be surprised that they want to just ride a bike, or go on a hike. The more fun outdoors you can do with them the more in tune you can get with nature. The outdoors have so much to offer, living life beyond the gym walls is a lifestyle, go live it.
