Live in Their Lives

I originally wrote this post in July of 2021. As I was editing it for inclusion into the company newsletter, I decided to revise the post to be more relatable to a work environment. You can read that post by clicking this link, Leadership Failure - Treating Employees Like Children.  As we send our children back to school, I thought it would be a great time to share my original thoughts to remind us parents of why we are here and the critical responsibility to prepare our children for flight.

As a parent, you try to build a foundation of values and ethics in your child that they will use to help them take flight towards a vision that you help craft with them through the years.
 
That is your gift… the gift of flight to enable your child to spread their wings and soar. Not just in wealth or career, but in family and faith. In watching the path your child takes in their own journey as they prepare their own kids for their flight.
 
Too often we try to measure our child’s success versus that of our peers' kids or some high standard that we ourselves were not able to meet. Many times, we let these “ideal states” mistakenly be used as measurements of success or value that we force on our kids.
 
The ultimate satisfaction, pride and love is found in recognizing your spirit in those you have touched and seeing it impact the lives of others. 
 
Is it about today or tomorrow? They say live in the moment, which is great for the individual, but whether you are coaching, leading, or parenting it is about the preparation. Tomorrow is made up of many “today” moments. Without these moments, how do you build the trust and relationship that reinforces the values and ethics? Live in the moment but prepare for tomorrow.
 
In his book Stop Living on Autopilot, Antonio Neves states, ”The best thing that happened to you hasn’t happened yet!” How powerful of a message is that? Remember, the goal is for your kids to fly so that they can soar and not simply run. 
 
So, be in the moment. Live in the moment. Don’t spend your time planning THEIR lives, but LIVE in their lives. Don’t be the helicopter parent, hovering and ready to make their decision, to prevent their fall or paint their picture. In all these cases it centers on you. Not them. Live life with them, not for them.
 
You build the foundation of values and ethics by demonstrating them in your own life and living life with them. You walk the walk. You are their foundation. Your rules that you set and live by. The love you show them and that they see in you. The respect you show to others and the respect that others show to you. Living life with them and not through them, is the key to seeing them take flight Beyond Today.

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