5 Valuable Life lessons I aim to share with my daughters that adults (Big Kids) can learn a lot from.
1. You don’t have to get things right the first time:
It is better to try and learn than to not try at all. I see it all too often. Adults attempting something once, failing and never trying again, or worse, not even trying because they know they will fail anyway. I purposely share with my daughters, videos of me failing at things I attempt to do at training so they have real-life examples of failing and it being ok. All too often we see images and vision of people succeeding and this becomes the expectation all the time. This is not real life, real life is we fail and try again, and again and again until we succeed. The lesson in summary. Be Resilient
2. Be People Smart:
Without being a “people pleaser” or a “yes” person and without doing things that are against your values or belief systems. Learn to be aware of how your words and actions may impact the experience of the people around you. Last night my eldest daughter (5.5 years old) laughed at an answer my youngest daughter (2.5) gave and made a funny face as in to say, “what a silly answer”, just because it was different to hers. I suggested to Emily that laughing at Makayla’s response may make her feel sad. I asked Emily to think about how she might feel if one of her friends laughed at her answers. Being people smart is known as Emotional Intelligence or EQ, it is a skill that can be learnt, but first, you must know yourself well enough, this comes through self -evaluation and reflection and taking time to think before you act and respond.
3. Choose friends wisely:
We have all heard it, “Who you hang around you become”. Connection with other humans is so vital to our health and happiness. Living alone is a sad existence. We need real connection. In this day and age, isolation is all too common – believe it or not, technology enables people to go into their own little world, void of human connection. The sad reality is that a person if they choose can virtually remove themselves from society, into a small 1 bedroom apartment, have no human connection, die and no one even know they have gone. My advice to my girls is to make friends with people who make them laugh and smile, people who are ok if they make mistakes and people who show they care. (See rule 1 and 2 – there is a connection here). As I look back on my life and evaluate some decision’s I made with relation to people I spent time with there is a strong correlation between my circle and my behaviour. Poor choices for me led to alcohol and drug abuse that became a huge part of my life for almost 2 decades. I don’t blame my friends for any of my actions, they were my choices, I own them. Today, my circle is sacred, I don’t let anyone into my circle that I do not value greatly and know that spending time with them is only going to contribute positively to my life and the life of my family.
4. Take your shoes off and play on the grass:
2 Important lessons here, more for the big kids (adults) than the little ones. 1. Being connected, I mean physically connected with the earth is bloody good for your health. In the concrete jungle we live in, the opportunity to truly connect with the earth in its natural form is very limited, rubber, concrete, metal and the like are constantly impacting our ability to be connected and experience earth’s true energy. Just how good do you feel after a day at the beach, or bushwalking, why? Because you have experienced earth’s energy. Make a point of connecting with the earth as often as possible and if you can include play into this scenario, it will amplify the experience and energy. 2. Play more often, don’t take life too serious, have fun and be in the moment. Probably one of the best parts of my day at present is the 20-30 minutes a day just before dinner that I jump on the trampoline and run on the grass with my daughters just before dinner. What does play look like for you? If you can’t answer this question then start exploring your options.
5. Learn to love your vegetables:
This is not just a Dad thing or a Coach thing, this is flat out just a basic rule of life that too many people simply overlook. “We are what we eat” is not just a saying, you want to look fresh, feel vibrant and be full of life, then eat food that presents that way and eat plenty of it. Vegetables, salad and fruit provide us with the nutrients our bodies need. These nutrients can not be found in processed food. Make plant-based food the foundation of your intake, eat adequate protein and carbohydrates that support your energy requirements without supporting body fat. Nutrition does not need to be complicated. KISS (keep it simple sweetheart) plenty of veggies, some protein and enough carbohydrates to support your activity without supporting body fat.
The above information has not been scientifically tested, nor am I a doctor so apply these rules to your life with caution. I will not take any responsibility for increased health, happiness and quality of life experiences
With Love
Making Healthy and Happy Normal
Matt Fletcher
Just a Dad, having a red hot go and loving life.
