Da<\/strong>d = The most important job you will ever have<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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He has tought me something that you can’t learn on Lynda.com or by reading an e-book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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A life course on how to be a father.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Most dads these days are extremely busy. We juggle many roles\u2026 husband, friend, employee, coach, provider, protector. The list is exhaustive. It is hard to find time even for basic parenting.<\/p>\n
Yet being a good dad in the 21st century is crucial not only for our families but for our communities.<\/p>\n
Why is being and good (involved) dad important?<\/h3>\n
[note color=”#e4f0f6″]Children of good dads\u2026.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
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Tend to have more empathy towards others<\/li>\n
Often have greater self-control<\/li>\n
Often do better in school because they are often better at problem solving. Tend to be sharper mentally. Tend to develop language skills faster.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Children of absent fathers\u2026..<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Are five times more likely to be poor<\/li>\n
Have the greatest odds of being incarcerated<\/li>\n
Are twice as likely to be involved in early sexual activity and are seven times more likely to get pregnant as adolescents.[\/note]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The Family Man<\/h3>\n
For the entirety of my life I have dreamed of traveling like a vagabond, living the “free and easy life”.<\/p>\n
I have tasted that life from time to time, usually in the form of mini vacations. Jaunts abroad, the best and most memorable were not surprisingly when I was young and broke.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
This combination is a recipe for adventure. One touched upon in the Four Hour Workweek that still resonates with me today.<\/p>\n
Life can be that way forever I suppose. I was married at 24, something that even surprised me.<\/p>\n
I had found my better half early on. Now, 11 years later this wonderful woman is still my greatest source of happiness, the best result of my 34 years of living.<\/p>\n
I am sold that happiness is not about quantity but quality.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Many men I meet consider “settling” down at 24 with one women to be a limit placed on a potential for abundance. But this idea of a “limit” doesn’t make sense to me. It happens when men confuse sex with love, and feeling important.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
The Twenty Four Hour Father<\/h3>\n
My wife challenges me every day. To be a better man, a better person, a better father.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Tim Ferriss is a serial entrepreneur who was born one month before I was.<\/p>\n
The difference is as he was winning kickboxing championships, dancing the Argentine Tango and becoming a millionaire selling drugs for money. I was somewhere between my internal medicine rotation and having our first daughter.<\/p>\n
Regardless, the same message transcends lifestyles: That roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes is a good rule of thumb.<\/p>\n
It is applicable to sales, finance, fitness and yes even being a father.<\/p>\n
Effortless Parenting<\/h3>\n
I say Twenty Four Hour Father because being a dad is a 24 hour job. But, there are steps you can take to become more efficient and more effective.<\/p>\n
Leonardo Babauta describes “effortless parenting” in his e-book The Effortless Life<\/a>. In it he recommends:<\/p>\n
[quote style=”1″]We give up our expectations of our kids and how they should behave, and instead accept them for who they are.[\/quote]<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
When I look back at my accomplishments thus far, being an involved parent leads the list.<\/p>\n
It is true that being a dad is not always easy and is often a simultaneous moment of exultation and despair.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yet, in the end if you let the exaltation win out, if you hang in there, what is left is the wake of a well lived life… That of a father!<\/p>\n
Sometimes I dream of just jumping on a flight and traveling down to Costa Rica for a week, speaking Spanish, writing, reading… developing my passive income stream while I sip margarita’s.<\/p>\n
Tim points out that having children is by no means an end of the road for creative life plans. He gives several examples<\/a> in The 4 Hour Workweek.<\/p>\n
In my opinion Tim’s next book should be titled the 4 Hour Father. Yes, various groups such as Child Protective Services will feel the need to get involved. But being a 4 Hour father is not about short ended parenting. It is about reducing the excess in your life to focus on that which is most important:<\/p>\n
Being a Good Dad<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
I have heard people refer to being a dad as “the hardest job you will never love” But that makes parenting sound like a choice: which it is, until it isn’t.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The truth is being a good dad, an involved dad, is a lot of hard work. It takes time, attention, patience and unconditional love.<\/p>\n
Being a “four-hour father” is about shortening your workout routines<\/a>, spending less time at the office, finding creative ways to play with your kids, becoming a better chef<\/a>, attending PTA meetings, acting silly, being consistent, providing positive discipline and joining the life of the New Rich.<\/p>\n
Yes, a “rich dad” is one that understand the importance of being a parent and uses lifestyle design to make time for what matter most.<\/p>\n
Being a Good Dad<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
My dad, is my role model and I am thankful he took the time to be a great dad. I hope that someday my children will say the same about me. This is what I define as success.<\/p>\n
Happy Father’s day to all you 24 Hour Fathers!<\/p>\n
Here is a short story my dad wrote about his dad: “The Bowl<\/a>”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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