Despite taking several slow, deep breaths, you begin to feel anxiety grip your body.
What in the world are you doing? Where are you going? Are you part of something important?
Or…are you stuck in that same old job, with the same lot in life…nothing much to report?
I imagine that most dads (especially American dads), have been haunted by the lingering notion that we haven’t quite done enough. There is always a better job to get, a better business to start, and a better school for our kids to attend. Simply put, there is always a better life to live.
Can We Get Better?
Certainly there is some truth to thinking there may be something “better.” There are areas of our lives that we should develop further. Unfortunately, the pursuit of our “better” selves becomes more of a conquest to find our identity than anything else.
Long past is the day when we look for simple, incremental growth. The kind of growth that still lends itself to taking stock of how far we’ve come. Maybe the kind of growth that forces us to “stop and smell the roses,” (an over-used, clichéd term…I know).
What We Teach In Our Pursuit
Besides the art of bodily noises and lifting heavy things, we teach our kids how to move toward their goals. If this includes us constantly searching for who we are in what we do, then our kids are sure to follow.
Let’s be clear, we place our identity in something. Whether it’s work or family, who we are is held by whatever we deem important in our lives.
So, this Christmas season, take a few minutes and think deeply about your identity. If you’re feeling really serious, ask a few people that know you best how they would describe you. Better yet, if your kids are old enough, ask them what they think.
Do you like what you hear?
Dads are serious, albeit goofy, creatures that can make changes if we find that it’s important to us.
Let’s make it important!
