Leaving It All on the Field for Your Family

It was one of the best days I have ever had. I had conquered one of the most difficult mountain trails and then sat on a jagged summit boulder looking out over the sky until I noticed the position of the sun.

I started to panic. I was well over seven miles away from my car. The wilderness was steep and rocky, and also contained bears. My day became a race against time to get myself out of the woods before losing the light. It took all my energy to get out before nightfall. Anything less could have been a disaster. Being a dad requires the same type of sold-out commitment. Here are 4 ways to leave everything on the field for your family.

1. Emotional Balance

When we fly off the handle in anger or allow fear to stifle our movement, it leads to bad outcomes in our parenting. Before reacting in tough situations, take moments to breathe, reflect, and absorb. Doing so can eliminate negative parenting mistakes, such as reacting overly harshly to our kids when they are challenging. Balance requires determination, effort, and practice, so keep at it until emotional stability becomes a habit.

2. Consistent Presence

More than anything, your family needs your presence.

More than anything, your family needs your presence. This goes beyond being physically present. You need to make sure you are actually in the room, but it goes beyond that. We need to be focused and engaged. Too often dads are thinking about their work or problems to solve rather than on family time. When it’s work time, concentrate on work. But when it’s family time and your kids are trying to talk to you, do your best to block everything else out.

3. Fiscal Responsibility

Raising a family has never been cheap and the costs just keep increasing. The goal is to keep large debts from accumulating to the point they begin to corrode the foundations of your family structure. To do that requires us to practice prudent financial responsibility and make decisions based on the best interest of the family’s future, and not on what we desire in the moment. Putting ourselves second is not instinct. It’s a chosen commitment to the betterment of the family you lead.

4. Time Management

We need to be aware of how we are allocating and managing our time if we want successful outcomes. Each aspect of our lives, including parenting, work, and a social life, wants as much of us as we can give. So we have to prioritize and be committed to a structure that produces the best results for our family as a whole. We can’t afford to be lazy. Don’t waste a moment.

Sound off: What are some other ways to leave it all on the field for your family?