“The only things I regret… are the things I didn’t do.”-Joe Karbo. So live life with no regrets.
When I was in college, my football coach was the type of person that you wanted to be around…one that was passionate about his job and his life. He was great at getting the “best” out of you.
He would say to never look back after a practice or a game and think… “I could have given more”, or “I could have been better”, or “I REGRET…”
Recently I reconnected with this coach and he is still motivating athletes to be their best. His words carried a profound meaning in my life, and his words are something that I strive to live by…”Live with No Regrets.”
I make sure my wife and my kids know I love them each and every day. They receive hugs and kisses each morning before I head out to work and at night as I lay them down for bed. I tell them how much I love them each and everyday. I will live this part of my life with No Regrets.
When I worked outside of the home, I made sure that when I showed up to work or participate in any function, it is with an open heart. I put forth 100% of my effort and my time, no matter what. I made sure to greet my co-workers with a smile each morning and continue to work and grow the relationships in my life. Now that I work at home, with my wife, it is no different. I will live this part of my life with No Regrets.
I make sure to set a good example for my children and help others when in need. Growing up my parents devoted a lot of time to my brother and I, so I chose to do the same with my kids. I WILL be my kids coach (literally- I coach all of their sports), their mentor, and always strive to be their super hero. I will always be there to assist with any problems they may have…to listen and not to judge. I will live this part of my life with No Regrets.
I make sure to treat others with respect and be a leader for my children. I will try my best to teach them right from wrong and not get lost in the shuffle of life. I will lead by example and I will teach my kids to to do the same. I will live this part of my life with No Regrets.
I make sure to honor my wife each and every day. I always stay true to my vows…”to love and to cherish, in good times and bad.” I will let her know how beautiful, smart, and proud I am of her and how happy I am that she is my wife. I will work hard to be the best version of me, so in return she is proud of me. I will live this part of my life with No Regrets.
I will not look back at the things in my life and imagine what could have been, or what could I have done different. Live life the way you want. Live life with No Regrets.
Thanks for the article. I am hesitant to read articles like this because it makes you seem like you’re a perfect husband and father. Things that you say like ” I will put forth 100% of my effort and my time, NO MATTER WHAT.”, and “each and every day”. Do you really honor your wife “each and every day”? I would love to know how you do that.
I enjoy your articles, but I can’t help to wonder what is hiding behind the words that you use and the things that you claim to do. I don’t mean to discourage you, just let you know that there are people reading this that may think that what you describe is possible, which is misleading.
Hey Rocky-
(Becky here 🙂 )
Thanks for writing. We do try each and every day. We have been together since we were 13 and 14 and our marriage is a priority. To say that we married our best friend is an understatement. We work together, we hang out together (we are writing this response together) and we enjoy it. Yes, we do honor each other each and every day, because to have a successful marriage, we think that is sort of a must.
You asked how we do that-
I recommend the book “The Five Love Languages”. Its awesome. We also put our kids to bed at a regular bedtime (I have a post on my blog, yourmodernfamily.com, about why we put our kids to bed at 7:00) and this allows us to spend time together every night, watching movies, playing board games, etc… while still spending time with the kids during the day (we both work from home.)
To say that it is possible is not an understatement or misleading… it is our life. We live it every day. We spend time with our kids, we love it. We spend time with each other and we love that, as well. We cook our meals together, clean together, go on bike rides together, etc… I can’t imagine not having a life where your wife/husband is your best friend. Both of our parents have the same type of marriage that we have. It is just the ‘norm’ to us and I encourage everyone to try their best to honor their family every day, because it makes all the difference.
Sincerely,
Becky Mansfield (& Mickey – well, it’s mostly Becky writing back to this one). 🙂