Husbands and Dads » Family

What Is A Family First Entrepreneur?

cory — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:30:38 +0000

Over the last few years, I have started down my path to becoming a Family First Entrepreneur. These three words came from a brain storming session I had while on a road trip. I was trying to come up with a “simple idea” that cut to the marrow of how I see myself as a person. When I voiced the words, “Family First Entrepreneur,” I realized I had created a statement that was simple enough and powerful enough to create a movement.

A Family First Entrepreneur is someone with an entrepreneurial mindset who keeps his or her family first. As we look deeper into this definition, we must acknowledge that when business people put their families first, those two elements—business and family—affect one another in profound ways. For example, when I want time with my kids, that choice relates to and has a direct effect on the time I spend on business and other endeavors. Family First Entrepreneurs make business choices based on the potential impact they will have on their families first, and on business profitability second.

Another impact that people who align with this principle realize is that their families’ ability to function properly can also affect business. There is nothing like family trauma to make a day at work both unbearable and unproductive. They realize they need a healthy marriage and family life to be their best while producing a living. You can see that one affects the other in profound ways, so Family First Entrepreneurs need a healthy work-life balance.

Lastly, Family First Entrepreneurs have an attitude about wealth creation which puts the goal of building wealth for the enhancement of their family first, and for “material possessions” second. Things like time with family are bought before the Ferrari.

Whether you’re an empty nester, a single person, or have chosen to not have children, you still have a “family.” If you are someone who puts your family first, who wants work-life balance, and who would enjoy creating wealth entrepreneurially…I welcome you to the club.

You can read more of Marc’s blogs and learn about his new book “ONO, Options not Obligations” at www.MarcWarnke.com.

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Five Speeches to Help Inspire Fathers

Jeremy — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:52:36 +0000

Every dad wants to be his kids hero and inspire them to do great things with their lives. We are role models to our children, and as such we have a responsibility to teach them how to grow and develop into happy, healthy and wise adults. In our role as fathers, it helps to be inspired ourselves if we want that behavior and motivation to be instilled in our children.

Here are 5 Speeches to Help Inspire Fathers:

1. The Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5 – 7 from the Holy Bible. You don’t have to be incredibly religious to gain insights and inspiration from this speech by Jesus of Nazareth, in which he said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

2. The Famous Patton Speech by General George S. Patton, Jr. Patton was a legendary general. His words are not only relevant to troops of soldiers, but also dads who want to be good leaders within their families. He said, “The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared…a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honour, his sense of duty to his country and his innate manhood.”

3. Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy. JFK’s speech speaks to the possibilities in life, and it encourages you to take action to positively affect the world around you. Dads want their kids to change the world for the better, and Kennedy’s words can help motivate and inspire both father and child. “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

4. I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. King’s words stir the soul and move the spirit. This speech will make you want to talk to you kids about living a good and moral life, as well as appreciating all of the blessings in your family has today. Dr. King said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”

5. Strength and Decency by Theodore Roosevelt. “Teddy” Roosevelt was a hard-nosed and courageous leader, and as the speech title suggests, his words inspire strength, decency and more. He advocated leading by example, “It is peculiarly incumbent upon you who have strength to set a right example to others….You must feel that the most effective way in which you can preach is by your practice.”

Are there any great speeches throughout history that inspire you to be a better father? How about a better man? Please share them with us.

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What’s the Deal With Adoption?

cory — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:09:15 +0000

There are roughly 120,000 adoptions in the United States each year and 2 – 4 percent of all families have 1 or more adopted children.

With so many adoptions happening each year, why are so many men afraid of adoption? Well, according to a new study released by the Federal Government, they aren’t.

Wait, what?

The traditional stereotype has been that men want to continue their lineage with biological children of their own and are reluctant to adopt. The new study shows, however, that men adopt almost twice as much as women do.

A large portion (more than half) of these adoptions are men adopting stepchildren from new marriages. Another portion is single men, straight and gay, adopting. Many married men are also becoming more comfortable with the idea of adoption.

Here are a few stories of men who have chosen to adopt. Their stories are varied and interesting, at times heartwarming and difficult.

Charles Rathman, a marketing analyst from Wisconsin, and his wife adopted an ethnic child. Went through a Lutheran adoption agency and had an uncommonly quick experience.

After completing the necessary paperwork, background checks, and home study, Charles and his wife Carla felt like they were ready to adopt. Having heard stories about adoptions taking months, sometimes years, Charles and his wife felt like they were prepared for the wait. They didn’t understand why their adoption caseworker was so insistent that they finish up the last few loose ends so quickly, but they soon found out.

It turns out that the agency already had a child under care that they were looking to adopt as soon as possible, and the agency wanted Charles and his wife to take this child. Within weeks of finishing their paperwork, they had a child placed in their home.

There are a ton of couples who have chosen to share their stories of adoption on the internet. Many of these couples share their stories using free blogging software like Blogger.com or WordPress.com. To read a few, try clicking here for Charles & Carla’s story, or here for Mary & Mike’s story.

John Smith and his wife adopted a child from Korea. John said that concerns about bonding were never a problem, but that he and his wife were hampered by their family feeling that adoption was wrong, that if they were going to have children, that God would make them get pregnant. It took 2 years for them to arrange their adoption because of international laws. John and his wife used a non-religious international non-profit organization that has been in operation for over 30 years. They are planning on bringing home their child by january.

Don, from Portland, Oregon, had a negative experience with adoption. Of all of the stories that were sent to me, this one was the only negative. He reported that while the child he and his wife adopted was fine initially, after several years the child began having behavioral problems that tests later showed were related to fetal alcohol syndrome. He faults the adoption for his wife leaving and says that he no longer has contact with his adopted daughter. Don reported that he and several other individuals were part of a support network that helped people deal with adoptions gone wrong.

Chris Nolte, from Iowa, related his story about adopting their now 16 year old daughter. Chris and his wife also used a Lutheran adoption ministry to find a child to adopt. In 1992, just three months after receiving approval to adopt, Chris and his wife received a phone call telling them that they had been selected for an adoption and that they needed to arrive at the hospital to pick up their new infant the next morning. Chris also reported never having a problem bonding with his child, and says that fatherhood is “the greatest job in the world.”

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What Are You Thankful for Right Now?

Jeremy — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:26:27 +0000

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” -Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha, Hindu Prince and Founder of Buddhism

We live in a society in which people always seem to want more. What we have is never enough. We are uber-consumers and obsessed with stuff. My house is filled with stuff that we don’t need, yet we find a way to continue buying things. Am I thankful for what we have? Absolutely – my wife and I have worked hard to get to this point in our careers and lives.

The stuff around me, though, is not what really matters. I am much more appreciative of other more substantial things in my life.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

My Wife – I am very proud to have a wife who is smart, intelligent, independent, beautiful, sexy, kind, caring and considerate. She is an incredible partner and a wonderful mother. I’m fortunate to have someone who understands me for who I am and values my strengths.

My Kids – My life as a father has been one of high highs and low lows. I don’t like to talk about it much, but my first daughter died of a heart disease shortly after being born. This was extremely hard on me emotionally and mentally. Anyone who has suffered a loss like this knows that life is precious and should be treasured. Now, I have a teenage daughter, toddler son and baby girl whom I appreciate more than life itself. My youngest daughter had a very rough start to life, being born premature and developing a very serious infection. After a month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she came home and is doing very well now. I am blessed beyond belief with three amazing kids!

My Family – I feel extremely fortunate to have parents who are also great leaders and role models. My inlaws are incredible people too, so I am thankful that my kids will be positively influenced by many outstanding relatives. You can’t choose your family, but if I could, I would pick one like mine.

My Strengths – I’m thankful for the natural abilities that God has given me, or nature has granted me through genetics, or the abilities I have learned or developed myself. I have always lived in, and created, an environment of building upon strengths, and I know that most people do not live like this. Life is hard for most, and I’ve had my fair share of troubles; however, I was always taught to leverage my strengths and overcome obstacles. I live an empowered life, and I know that most things happen because of me and not to me. I have the power! (I always enjoyed watching He-Man cartoons as a kid – “I have the power!”)

My Experiences – My life is full. It’s always been that way. I’m not a passive observer, even though I like to write about and chronicle experiences that I witness. I am an active participant in life, and I like to make things happen. I get involved. I volunteer. I am the first to try things, which caused many trips to the emergency room when I was a kid. I’m not afraid to fail, and I’ve done so many times. I like to learn from both mistakes and successes. My experiences have helped shape who I am as a man, husband, father, friend and leader, and I value them greatly.

I could probably write a few thousand words on the things that I’m thankful for in my life, but it seems slightly narcisstic. I’d much rather hear from you about the things that you’re thankful for in life.

What are you thankful for right now? Please share.

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