Following My Own Advice For Once

Today’s post really is more for me, and more a record for my daughter, but I am also going to try to follow my own advice for once.  Working with families, we often reach a point where my clients and I discuss how I am able to provide an outside perspective to their situation…  And I always caution that I am by no means perfect, and that I too struggle with many of the same things we talk about in my office.  Sometimes I crash and burn because I am too emotionally connected to the situation (with my own family).

Today, I hope to follow some of my own advice as my daughter embarks on a very memorable, and important milestone.

As a stay-at-home Dad, I have the great fortune to be with my children for all the good and the bad.  It has been an honor to raise my children, and to see their progress every single day.  But lately, it has become very difficult to balance and manage the developing wants and needs of my children along with having some time of my own (for work, play, peace of mind, etc…)

Long story, shortened up a bit, I have a very precocious daughter.  She is hungry to learn, and recently I have figured out that I have a tough time keeping up with what she wants to do to learn, and fill that hunger.  Enter pre-school.  Today, I dropped my daughter off for her first day.  She was very excited, and both her mother and I are thrilled that she will now have a very structured schedule to learn and grow – something she wants so badly.

Lessons Learned

Now to the “following my own advice bit.”  Right before New Year’s, I set up a new routine to be more organized, structured, and effective with how I use my time for business and pleasure.  Needless to say, this morning’s routine was entirely thrown off.   It was difficult, and in most cases, I would have thrown my hands up and called it a wash.

I started the routine just fine, fed the kids breakfast, started to get ready to take my daughter to school, and then life started to happen.  The car was iced over…  I had no ice scraper…  My daughter wanted to leave for school…  My son was getting tired…  All competing demands, and it added up rather quickly.

Quickly my routine was turned upside down, and I could have let my emotions get the best of me.  But  I used that routine…  I leaned on it a bit.  I benefited from the structure and stability (and familiarity)  that I had created.  In some ways, I stuck to my routine.  Yes, it was quite different, and I am still a little off track.  BUT, I am staying committed to my routine and fortunately it provided an anchor for me to lean on as I embarked on this new journey with my daughter.

Having had this all organized this morning as I was rushing to get ready, it seems a little less pertinent now, but fortunately I am focusing on what I can get done, and how I will find the time to get more thigns done while adjusting to new events and circumstances.

But most of all, I am accepting that there will be a period of adjustment, and I need to work through rather than give up and feel defeated.  I have now blogged for the day, and will get back to my other schedule until I go pick up my precious girl.

Thanks for listening.