The one about being 30+6
As the clock strikes 12:00 am, I hear the sounds of my wife and my newborn daughter sleeping next to me. They say that when you have a child, your own birthday feels different. Truthfully, I never understood that saying until now.
Turning 36 today has opened my mind to a completely different set of questions:
- What does it mean to be a modern-day father?
- What did my father go through when he was holding me in his arms?
- What I can do to shape our world so it becomes a more inclusive place when my daughter grows up?
Similar to years past, this year has been full of new learnings (See previous posts: 30+5 | 30+4 |30+3 | 30+2 | 30+1).
I learned to follow my intuition and speak up when something doesn’t seem right. You never know where this leads you.
I learned that discipline equals freedom. Waking up at 5:00 AM has freed up many hours to spend on personal growth and tasks that energize me such as language lessons, mastermind sessions and tennis.
I learned that anything is possible. It is easy to fall into the trap of setting limits based on what society considers to be normal. Last month, I ran a half marathon and ran a personal best time under 2 hours (with energy left in the tank). I wanted to prove to myself that age (and fatherhood) is not an excuse. What is important is having the right mindset going in and an incredible running coach (thanks Arthur and Elaine).
I learned that we each have a powerful ability to influence what shows up in our lives. When you put out good energy, you attract good energy. It might not happen right away, but it will happen.
I’m grateful for those who have come through my life and shaped who I am today. From those that I met through Living Room Series to friends that I met through community and advocacy work, there is a reason why we met — I’m thankful for all of these interactions and our friendship.
30+5, it’s been such a pleasure. 30+6, I am excited to see what’s next.
