Destination Dad 2.0

For the longest time I was Dad 1.0. After four children, I thought I had it figured out and it was my way or the highway. However, through a series of tumultuous life events I came to realize I did not have it figured out and I needed to change. These life events humbled me and showed me the need to move from Dad 1.0 to Dad 2.0.In other words this old dog needed to learn new tricks. I needed to iterate my approach to being a father. Especially since my children were moving quickly into adulthood. If I was not careful, thoughtful and humble - I ran the risk of alienating my children and creating rifts that would be very difficult to heal. I found that being teachable and having the ability to iterate is one of the key skills needed to succeed in life. This is true in business and it is true with my family and personal pursuits as well. The Dad 2.0 process has led me to make a number of different and sometimes difficult changes in my approach to being a father. I realize when you see some of the changes I have made your reaction will most likely be - "well duh! That's obvious". While it may be obvious, it is not enough to know what to do; you have to be intentional and actually make the changes.You have to be proactive and thoughtful. To be clear - I AM NOT PERFECT! I will never be perfect. I have flaws and foibles and will forever be striving to be a better father. It is in the striving that I hope to effect positive change in my life and the lives of my children. My goal is to finish well! I know this will be a life long journey. You will note that everything in this book is focused on what you need to do to change! Believe it or not, you can only really change one person in this life - yourself. Certainly you have influence, and can lead, guide and direct others, but you can only change yourself. Because change comes from within! If you want to change someone else, then pray for them and ask God to change them. You should spend your time, energy and effort on changing yourself. I have intentionally kept this book short and simple. We live in a stressed world where time is our most precious commodity and a long and lengthy book will most likely gather dust and never be read.I hope you find this book helpful in your own journey to be a better father. Just remember this journey is a marathon and not a sprint and the journey will only end when you take your last breath. I will strive each day to finish well and I hope you will do the same.