Thread by @eternalinmind

My father was bi-polar and an alcoholic with a tremendous heart

He's the reason for everything I am and everything I'm not.

Here's how I stopped the cycle and honor him on #FathersDay and everyday

THREAD

I was blessed with the most fantastic mother who was forced to provide and care for me.

She never spoke ill of my father.

She did her best to make sure that my father's failures did not impact me.

This allowed me to see that my father's issues were his own and not about me

So much of what I recognize in myself comes from my father.

How I look

My sense of humor

My calm demeanor

Some of the bad qualities too and I've done best to root them out.

Addictive personality

Negative self-talk

The pursuit of comfort over challenges

I use his life as a warning to do everything I can do be the best father and man I can be.

I believe my life proves that he could have made different choices. He could have changed and hope he sees that.

As @TonyRobbins said in his powerful documentary.

"If you are going to blame people for all the shit, you better blame them for all the good too."

My father is the reason for everything I am and everything I'm not.

I try to be the father he was and never was.

I try to be the man he was and never was.

I take care of my health.

I haven't had a drink in over 4 years.

I will fight to the death to keep my family whole and strong. My children will grow up with their father in their lives.

I try to have a good heart like my father, but I know a good man can't just be kind but must be dangerous.

At the end of the day I can choose how I want to remember him. At his wake, a childhood friend of his told me "he was the happiest person she ever met." I know that happiness lives on inside of me.

I remember him at a restaurant running over to a older woman who he didn't know helping to remove her coat.

The fact that the last 12 years of his life he was completely sober because of a letter my mom told me to write to him.

I remember laughing at the same jokes.

I miss you dad. I hope you are looking down and are proud of the man and father I've become.

It's all because of you 🙏

Happy Father's Day Dad

Here some incredible examples of father's who I'm lucky to have found here on Twitter:

@artofmanliness
@tannerguzy
@JakeVeigel
@JohnKRosemond
@TheFamilyAlpha
@markallanbovair
@ryanstephens
@RonPaul
@lnsightfulMike

Books that helped:

No more Mr. Nice Guy amzn.to/2HVw3eD
The Way of the Superior Man amzn.to/2thkSaN
The Well Behaved Child amzn.to/2K0uW20
Children: The Challenge amzn.to/2HWJMSd
No Excuses: The Power of Self-discipline am.to/2JKZ7Ll