Only a Dad

Only a dad, with a tired face, Coming home from the daily race, Bringing little of gold or fame, To show how well he has played the game, But glad in his heart that his own rejoice To see him come, and to hear his voice. Only a dad, with a brood of four, One of ten million men or more. Plodding along in the daily strife, Bearing the whips and the scorns of life, With never a whimper of pain or hate, For the sake of those who at home await. Only a dad, neither rich nor proud, Merely one of the surging crowd.  Toiling, striving from day to day, Facing whatever may come his way, Silent, whenever the harsh condemn, And bearing it all for the love of them. Only a dad, but he gives his all To smooth the way for his children small, Doing, with courage stern and grim, The deeds that his father did for him. This is the line that for him I pen, Only a dad, but the best of men. 

—EDGAR A. GUEST

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My Simple Morning Routine

 

BUT I’M NOT A MORNING PERSON!

WHY THE MORNING?

  1. Your brain has been resting all night and you have the most room for clarity in the morning.
  2. Willpower is highest in the morning so start strong!
  3. Your first thoughts and first activity should be something meaningful.

From the Book: Psychodynamic Neurology: Dreams, Consciousness, and Virtual Reality:

After sleep “there is more receptive capacity and more storage space.  That is why most people find that the morning is the best time for them to do “head work”.”

There is a ton of research on the positive benefits of exercise in the morning and how endorphin’s ramp up your brain and body for the day.  The website healthyliving.com has this to say about exercise in the morning:

“People who exercise in the morning before breakfast may enjoy benefits, such as increased energy throughout the day and greater weight loss. Making morning exercise a habit can improve your performance during the day and help you sleep better at night. People who exercise before breakfast in the morning may also enjoy burning more calories than those who exercise later in the day.”

We all have problems that we face everyday.  Some external and some internal.  We have to work hard to clear our mind first thing in the morning.

Developing a routine or a habit is key to making each day start positive.  There is enough that happens out of our control each day, so taking 12 minutes to set our mood and mind for the day helps us start the day positive.

To slightly change a quote by Henry Ford a bit…Results don’t come from what you are going to do  “tweet this

Reputation

 

The 3 C’s:

1-Clear

2-Crank

3- Clarity

Over the next 3 weeks, I will cover each of these in more detail.  These 3 each take 4 minutes.  12 minutes to start your day with a new routine that will give you more clarity, confidence, and energy.

There have been countless interviews and blog post about successful people and their morning routines.  The fact that they have one is what is most important.  Can you get some great ideas from them, yes.  But does your routine need to mirror theirs? No.  Having one and starting the day strong and positive is key.  Routines have to be different because everyone’s morning starts at a different time and in a different way.

We all need to be striving for Constant Improvement if your not embarrassed by who you were last year, your not making progress.

If you don,t think you can create 12 minutes to get your day started off the right way, you could always take some advice from Mark Twain….

Live Fron

 

Directions?  

Have you ever been lost, Took a wrong turn, but yet knew you were close to where you needed to be?  So you just keep driving, knowing you’ll get there. All the while your wife says “maybe you should pull in the gas station and ask directions!”  

There is it…. The words you don’t want to hear. “I’m a man, I know where I’m going. “. I don’t need help or directions. 

Well maybe we do need directions. More in the sense that as men we don’t want to let anybody down. Month after month, there are always going to be more bills that need to get paid. You want to be a good provider. You want to make your wife, kids parents proud. You want to be strong for everybody. Do you ever feel like you’re the glue holding everyone else’s lives together? Then is it really any wonder you’re so exhausted?

Of course, if you’re like most guys, 

Despair Repair
Have you ever played so hard that you physically had nothing left in the tank?
Sometimes you collapse on the bench press of your life: weakened, worn out, completely exhausted. But even if you’re already maxed out, there’s no guarantee more stress isn’t still coming. Do you ever feel like that? Like that constant weight of responsibility is always there? That you always have to be there for your family and your friends? Believe me, I know just how that feels.

Of course, if you’re like most guys, you’ll never ask for help. You just keep adding more and more weight to that bar, again and again. You keep lifting it, too, but you’re sore. It hurts, but you don’t tell anybody. Sometimes you even wonder why you’re carrying all this weight for all these other people. It’s easy to start slipping into a negative mindset. 

Many of us slip into that same mode when we start feeling overwhelmed. We may not say it out loud, but what our actions are communicating to others is: “I’m not letting you in. I won’t share what’s going on with me. Besides, even if I tried, you wouldn’t understand.”
That’s why we refuse to ask for directions! We don’t want to have to tell anyone we need help! I’m convinced the reason we do this is that most of us want to be the hero, the main character, the center of the story that we’re telling about ourselves. We want to make everything about us…instead of about God.
But here’s a truth you can grab hold of today: If you’ll let your need drive you to God, God will meet your deepest needs.   

His Spirit will always lead us to confession, to changing direction, to realigning with his Word, to a fresh start, to grace. Admit it. You need him. Tell him so. You may be surprised how he responds.
**coming soon… The need for a “Band of Brothers”

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished!

Wether your a hunter like me, or you can find some other reason to get in the woods (camping, bird watching). Whatever your reason, just find an opportunity to unplug and get in the woods.  Here are a couple of quotes that will help in explaining better than I can:

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. Mother Teresa

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Anne Frank

Here is a video of a recent trip to the woods. If this does make you feel a little less stressed, not sure what will. 

  

Trade your old Gadgets to Amazon!

I am a huge fan of Amazon Prime.  2 Day free shipping on Prime products and the gigantic video library are just a few of the reasons I like it.  One other thing I have found useful is the ability to sell your old electronics that always seem to find a home in a drawer. If your like me, you have old phones, tablets, and other electronic gadgets sitting around collecting dust.  Why not utilize Amazon to turn them into an Amazon Gift card.

http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=threedaughter-20&o=1&p=12&l=ur1&category=cetrade&banner=1PBCP856PS6MDAH7GJ82&f=ifr&linkID=B35OHW22WYLKWMHC

Puppy love!

Its been a while since we had a dog. Out last dog was a miniature Dachsund (Polly) which we believe was a sweet natured person In a dogs body. We had her before kids so as our threedaughters came along, they had Polly as part of their family from day one. 

It’s been about 4 years since we lost Polly (after 18 years as a part of our family). This past weekend we got a new rescue puppy from the Morgan County Humane Society in Madison, Ga. 

She is a 3 month old mixed breed. Part Dachsund and part ?? (Corgi or basset or Fiest). After a long debate about names, we settled on Daisy. 

Every rescue pet has a story and there are so many varieties out there. Big to small, mixed breeds to pure breads. Support your local Humane society or shelter and if it’s right for your family, rescue a dog.  

    
 

Fish story…..

We have all heard of the one that got away…..  Well this is the one that didn’t get away. As a dad that grew up hunting, fishing and being outdoors you want to balance that with daughters and encourage them to follow their passion (cheerleading, horses ect..) but it’s always fun to teach them a skill. Here is my middle threedaughterdad daughter with a 4lb largemouth bass.  

 No diy, no how to, just a happy daughter and a proud dad.