Tag: self improvement

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My Beautiful Game

An old, familiar companion continues to be a source of growth and peace. Soccer has forever been with me. Through every shift of life I’ve been able to return to the pitch and let go of those things that no longer serve me. Any upgrade I’ve achieved in psychological, spiritual, or emotional realms has translated into my game. Healthier and more beautiful relationships guided me into managing and coaching roles. Meditation and mindful breathing turned my body into a power plant, Soccer isn’t my form of self care, it’s the joyous payoff I can cash in when I’m taking care of my self.

I’ve got the pedal down on self improvement now. I’m a more positive leader and playing with more skill and raw strength than ever. I get to play alongside the best teammates who always have my back and let me have plenty of field time.

Releasing pain, being present, and loving myself manifested in last night’s game. I forgave my bad passes, ran with ease, and picked myself up without anger after some very hard knocks (well, there may have been a verbal bomb, or two, thrown…).

I’m blessed to have the beautiful game in my life.

Have a God blessed day,
Jason

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More Love

“Oh, where oh where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me
She’s gone to heaven, so I got to be good.”
-Last Kiss, Wayne Cochran

No, that’s not the way I look at things, but I have found a lot of reasons to be better since I lost my baby. The most effective reason has been for myself. When I increase my effectiveness in the world, I can provide more for those I love most. It’s a driving passion for me to be the most positive force I can be in the world and multiply the love that Mary and I felt for each other. Focusing on positivity in my parenting and all other relationships has gone hand-in-hand with a personal mission of self discovery and self improvement. It’s driven me into great challenges and eye-opening revelations about how I can find and produce more love.

God bless,
Jason

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They’re All Disruptions

We were blessed to choose homeschooling and to gradually evolve our philosophy toward unschooling, home education, and a holistic learning lifestyle. We had to deschool ourselves and break away from many of the poor learning habits we had internalized. It was, and still is, scary to turn away from our past paths and the present paths of almost everyone we knew. My wife and I discussed these decisions for hours and were dedicated to providing a better way for our sons. We were also dedicated to taking on the journey together. I was the bullhorn of home education and she was the quiet, steadfast warrior. We were a helluva team.

When Mary died, it was an unexpected disruption that would ripple out, echo back, and continue to vibrate through our lives. She left me with all her warrior strength and a little of her quiet steadfastness. It took me a few months, but I finally took up those gifts and embraced the disruption. Looking as deep into myself as I can stand I have chosen to take on my own demons and become a better father, man, and human.

Life is a series of disruptions, whether you steer into them or not. But life is a force of nature and fighting against change is not advisable. You will lose and it may tear you in half. Instead, put your hands out, close your eyes, and feel the air around you shift in place and temperature. Follow it. Set your sails to the coming wind and hold on. If you are careful enough and lucky enough you could be carried to a grand new land.

Do not fool yourself. That wind is coming.

God bless,
Jason

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Positive Parenting 30-Day Challenge: Day 25: Resource Renewal

As I near the end of my first 30-day challenge I am hungry for the next. There’s no goal for Day 30, there’s only the goal to do better each day, hour, minute, moment. To get that focus of improvement down to the micro-moment. Good habits are the same as bad, they reproduce and accumulate. But all habits have their pitfalls. That’s why I’m looking at new resources and choosing one system of self improvement to stick to for my next 30-Day Challenge.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

The Orange Rhino Challenge has been recommended to me a couple times and I believe the companion book, Yell Less, Love More, will be a great way for me to spend more time on the journey and less time on finding the proper tools.

As balance is key to any learning system, I’ll continue to share our unschooling adventures, various podcasts and episodes, my healing journey, and our generally unconventional life.

God bless,
Jason

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Positive Parenting 30-Day Challenge: A Greater Challenge

I stopped counting the days. It was enough to stay on track and focus directly on being a better dad. I knew from the start that this was a lifetime commitment. The 30 days (I did count, today is day 25) are meant to build loving habits, test out strategies, and focus my varied energies.

During this month I’ve not only challenged myself, but opened up and allowed myself to be challenged by others. I’m trying to listen and absorb instead of defending personal definitions and retreating from uncomfortable ideas. Maybe this is the perfect strategy as I lift a sledge hammer above the worst parts of myself, but it is nearly overwhelming. Discovery must be made at the edges of the darkness. The hero’s journey is about stepping into that darkness and bringing as much light as one has to survive until the light grows and the darkness recedes. I thought I had the guts and wherewithal to make that journey on my own. I was right, to a degree, but I’ve found a fellow traveler who pulls me down my path, shows me ways to go that I did not see, and occasionally shoves me down darker avenues. We often stop to discuss where we’ve been, where we’re going, and, most importantly, where we are. We often part to explore separate trails and I’ve found that it took a companion to help me embrace being alone over loneliness. I still get sick with loneliness at times, but the more time I spend in the dark, the less fearful of it I become.

God bless,
Jason