A Teachable Moment…Sorry Son
This morning I was able to take my son to soccer, just he and I…“just the boys” as he likes to say. With him having two little sisters and a third on the way, I think we both feel that it’s a special thing when we get to do something together.
On the way, I got one of the usual “Hey Dad, do you know what?” ‘s and I was intrigued to hear what was on his mind this time around. “Dad, we haven’t seen any motorcycles in a while.” Now I’m sure it’s been maybe one car trip since we’ve seen one but of course I agreed with the little guy.
As we were talking, I felt a teachable moment coming on (he’ll most definitely grow tired of these some day). I told him that it’s usually the moment we start to look for something in life that we start to find it. We had probably seen 10 motorcycles recently but in his mind it had seemed like forever. I told him that because now we have it on our minds and are actively looking for them, we’ll probably see one soon. Not even two minutes later, along came a motorcycle down the road and of course it got him excited. I was pretty pumped that what I just told him came true – score one for Dad.
Seek and Ye Shall Find
Sure, this story was about seeing a motorcycle but this is certainly a metaphor for an important life lesson. The more you look for something, the better the chances are that you will find it. I’m personally not a big bible guy, but I am into this quote:
“Ask, and it shall be given you;
Seek, and ye shall find;
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
Matthew 7:7
Instead of focusing on the NEGATIVE in life:
- What you don’t have
- What you’re struggling to understand
- Whatever just pissed you off
- The latest meaningless thing that just didn’t go your way
Try focusing more on the POSITIVE in life:
- What you do have
- All the amazing things that you have accomplished
- What makes you happy
- Actively looking for the positive in the things that happen around you
Your Perception is Your Reality
When you start to focus on the positive in life, you’ll soon start to see that positive things start to happen more often. Eventually, you’ll be able to see the positive in everything. Of course, nothing will have really changed from before but the key is that your perception of what is happening has changed. Here’s another great article on this topic if you’re interested!
Being a Positive Parent
Thinking positively is incredibly important as a parent. It won’t just turn things around for you but it will teach your children the same valuable lesson. Some other things you can consider doing that will lead to more positivity.
Give yourself time to reflect.
Think about what it is you want in life.
Think about how you may be able to get there.
Think about how the people you respect most in life live their lives.
Keep all of this at the forefront of your thoughts everyday and there’s no doubt that you’ll be on your way to living the positive, successful and meaningful life that you want for yourself and your family.