Where the HECK did 11 years go?! 😲🥳

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Today is my son’s birthday! 🥳

I have two children and our son, Jack, is the first born.

Each passing birthday is another year down and always makes me think… 🤔

DANG! Where the heck did the last year go?!

Let alone the number of years since they were born… In this case, ELEVEN!

Blows my mind how fast time flies and kids put that time into HYPER SPEED.

🎉HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY, JACK!🎉

P.S. If you’d like to wish Jack a Happy Birthday, please reply to this email and I’ll share your responses with him. 🥳

11 years ago, my wife and I embarked on an incredible journey into parenthood.

Our son, Jack William Harris, arrived on August 10, 2012. 👶

Parenthood is one of life’s ultimate challenges and yet another example of finding out what you’re capable of.

In the beginning, there’s no more night and day…

…you’re just trying to function in 24 hour periods.

When you’re in it, you’re in it…

…and time creeps at a snail’s pace.

Like SUPER SLOW.  

You ask yourself everyday, Will I ever get to sleep again?! 😩

Then their 1st birthday comes along, and you say to yourself, “WOW! Where did the time go?!”

These kids are little living time clocks every time you celebrate another year around the sun with them. 🌞

It’s both the scariest and most rewarding thing in your life as you watch your children grow up.

You no longer have responsibility for just yourself, you have responsibility for another human being. And there’s no manual for it. 😕

You just have to figure out and trust in yourself.

For all you parents out there, think about this for a second…

If jumping into something as astronomically important as keeping a tiny human alive with ZERO experience didn’t stop you from doing it any way because you knew it would bring an abundance of happiness and joy into your life…

…what is stopping you from the other things in your life that you’re afraid of, when you know it would bring further growth and fulfillment? 🤔

As a parent, you’ve already embarked on an unknown journey once and it changed your entire world.

You found out what you were capable of when you weren’t sure you could do it, but you trusted in yourself to make it happen.

AM I RIGHT?!

Use that example as fuel to start that business, or to achieve peak performance, or to pass that exam required to start your new career. 🫡

Ignite that FIRE in you. 🔥

That same FIRE you had when your first child was born and you knew you would do whatever it takes to make it work, to keep them safe, and jump at any opportunity that brings them happiness.

It’s time to make those same leaps for yourself.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT. 

As we celebrate LIL MAN today, I can’t help but take a moment to reflect on his life so far. I do it every year.

This kid is becoming one HELLUVA DUDE and I couldn’t be prouder of all that he’s accomplished, along with who he’s becoming…

• He’s an extremely supportive big brother to his younger sister.

• He LOVES his entire family and is willing to help out any way he can.

• He’s the type of guy who will stick up for someone who’s not even a close friend at school, just because it’s the right thing to do.

• He’s not afraid of a challenge and has always been super competitive.

  • If you challenge him, he’ll probably respond with “BET!”

• He’s a sports nut and plays competitive Basketball and Baseball

  • He’s won two Cactus Foothills Little League baseball championships. ⚾

  • Tomorrow he’ll be playing in his 4th basketball championship, having won 2 of the last 3. 🏀

• He’s self-motivated and has the drive to become better each and every day to achieve his goals.

• He reads a lot. He doesn’t complain about homework. He is open-minded with trying new things.

• He’s a deep thinker who wants to squeeze everything he can out of life and isn’t afraid to take action in order to fulfill his dreams.

I learn from this kid every day and grow even more as a Father because of it.

I look to him, and my daughter, as Accountability Partners.

For all you moms, dads, aunts, uncles or parental figures out there, here’s how you can leverage the kiddos in your life as accountability partners as well…

• SHOW UP, because you said you would.

• WORKOUT, to be visibly strong for them.

• COACH, to remain involved.

• SHARE, to experience what you experience.

• TEACH, to help them learn what’s possible.

• TALK MINDSET, for them to remain open-minded.

• HUG, because you care.

• SAY I LOVE YOU, so they know it.

This not only makes you the HERO in a child’s eyes, but promotes positive growth in yourself.

Using your birthday, a loved one’s birthday, or even a pet’s birthday, as a reminder to reflect on your achievements and growth, helps keep this extremely important practice up multiple times a year.

This gives you the opportunity to reflect back on everything you’ve accomplished during that 12 month span.

Birthdays ask for a pause in life to share gratitude with those you love, realize your growth YOY that seemed so small day-to-day, and learn from the year’s challenges and experiences as you continue down your path of success and happiness.

Reflecting on life allows you to celebrate your achievements and acknowledge your progress.

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle of daily life, but looking back can remind you of just how far you've come.

Reflection is POWERFUL and HEALTHY.

According to multiple studies…

5 Reasons Why Reflection is Important

1. PERSONAL GROWTH: We can identify patterns and learn from both our successes and failures.

2. SETTING GOALS: Looking at where we are now vs. where we were a year ago, allows us to set realistic and meaningful goals for the future. Reflection helps us align our aspirations with our values and priorities.

3. BUILDING RESILIENCE: Reflecting on challenging times and how we overcame them reminds us that we have faced difficulties before and found ways to cope, which can provide strength during tough times in the future.

4. FINDING PURPOSE: Life reflection allows us to ponder the bigger picture to understand what truly matters to us and guides us on our path to help us focus on what brings fulfillment. This creates room to discover the things that no longer align and builds confidence to be okay with letting go.

5. ENHANCING GRATITUDE: Looking back at positive experiences and moments of joy enhance our sense of gratitude for the good things in life. Sharing this gratitude with those you’ve had those experiences with helps build stronger relationships towards happiness.

Overall, life reflection is a valuable tool for personal development, emotional well-being, and creating a more meaningful and purposeful life.

It's not about dwelling in the past, but using our past experiences as a source of wisdom to shape our future.

Leverage yours and the BIRTHDAYS of the people that mean the most to you, as a reminder to reflect on what you’ve achieved in your life up to that point, and how you’ve positively impacted their lives.

Then ask yourself, “How can I be better?”

This is the MINDSET SHIFT. 🤯

Who’s birthday is coming up in your world?

When it arrives, reflect and write down your thoughts, gratitude, and goals for the next year.

Recognize and appreciate all of your growth up to that point.

Then identify what needs to be done in order to achieve further growth by the next time that birthday rolls around again.

If you made it this far 😉, I would LOVE for you to reply to this email and join me in wishing Jack a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY on his BIG day!

I know 98.24% of you have never met him, but I also know it would MAKE.HIS.DAY to see all your responses. 🙌

Until our next FLIGHT, enjoy Jack’s GO-TO pump up Song of the Week! 👇

Remember, Opportunity is Everywhere!!

Cheers! Steven

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As always, thanks for your supportKid