Have Your Feet in the Right Place
It was quite the week here last week as we celebrated my little man, E.J.’s 7th birthday and the first day of school… on the same day!
EJ has spent the last two weeks in a state of conflict (which we all are constantly in when you really think it through) as he was having trouble being excited about his birthdate since it was also the first day of school which he was not thrilled about because he wanted one more trip to the waterpark.
As you can see, he attacked the day with a smile on his face which may have had something to do with the donut cake and presents he woke up to that morning.
Speaking of conflict…
As you know, I have been training for over 20 months for the Michigan 70.3 which is September 12th in Frankfort, MI. This was my hardest week of training and my last week before I start to taper.
I feel great and could not be happier with where I am at physically and mentally.
A few months ago my daughter Maddie decided to switch from baseball to travel softball. She is fired up and we cannot wait to see her first game in fall ball.
Well, at the beginning of this week I received an email that included her softball schedule, and wouldn’t you know it… her first-ever softball game (four games actually) is the weekend of my race!
20 months of training… at times brutal training and pain in the butt injuries. A lot of early mornings, sleepless nights, and not-so-social evenings.
My ‘why’ for doing the race was to teach my kids what we can accomplish when we put our hearts and minds to it.
That not only is success about what you are willing to sacrifice,
it is also about what you are willing to endure.
But there will be no Michigan 70.3 this year for me because I would not miss Maddie’s first softball game for anything. There will always be more races but there will never, ever be that first softball game again.
The lesson I am teaching the kids now is different… it is bigger and will be far more impactful on their children when they are lucky enough to be parents.
Parenting, like leading, is about commitment and not convenience. It is about being where your feet are and being sure that you have your feet, head, and heart in the right place.
I am committed to never missing a significant event if I can control it and I have complete control over where my feet are on September 12th.
Most importantly, I will be sending a message to my daughter, that I love her more than anything and when Daddy (well… since she turned 9 it is ‘Dad!) says he will be there if he has control over it then he will be there. My word is gold to her.
This was originally published as a weekly newsletter from Ed Molitor, with The Molitor Group. If you’d like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.
