A Strong Foundation Withstands Any Storm

I was posed a question from my reading and decided to spend some time with it.

The question was, “Who do you ideally want to be? What is your ideal FUTURE SELF’S life and environment like?”

In the midst of such a challenging time, I was encouraged and inspired by the question, and even more so my response, and so, I felt compelled to share it in hopes that it may encourage and inspire you.

Tough times don’t last. Tough people do. In the midst of the challenges we face, I encourage you to be supremely clear, focused and excited by what you’re striving for and to effort yourself to stay as aligned as possible with it each and every day.

Well, here it goes…

I live from an incredibly strong FOUNDATION, adding focus, strength and dimension to it EVERYDAY.

My FAITH is the guiding force in my life with a dual focus of strengthening my relationship with Jesus each day, and glorifying God by doing the best I absolutely can with everything He has blessed me with.

My Physical Health has become more and more a part of my identity. I’m in outstanding shape because of the rituals I’ve built into my daily practice around eating clean, training hard and understanding how to properly rest, recover and renew. My energy is vibrant and infectious, and I feel amazing. I’m working creatively and collaboratively with some of the best in the industry.

My Mental Health is astonishing. I’ve taken the idea of neuroplasticity and personified it to an exponential degree. I’ve meticulously and intentionally crafted and built my mind to be strong, resilient, versatile, dimensional, and outstandingly conscious and composed. I read, absorb and train with the best thought leaders in the world that have added incredible perspective, insight and strength to my cognitive ability.

Kathleen and I have built such an amazing connection, marriage and life TOGETHER. We are lovers, partners and best friends in every sense of the word, and we are as physically and emotionally attracted to each other as we’ve ever been. We laugh, we cry, we argue, we disagree, we respect each other always, we care for each other, we look out for each other, we have each other’s back, we trust each other, and we have so much love, joy and appreciation for the life we’ve built TOGETHER.

My relationships with Christian and Kennedy are unlike anything I’ve experienced. The connection, the engagement, the love, the presence, the bond, the trust. It has been my greatest blessing to see them grow and develop and to be there with them on their individual journeys through life. I guide and teach them as best as I can and they are grateful for that, but they also guide and teach me just the same. Being a father has surpassed any hope or wish I could have had for it. Our family unit is built on the strongest foundation of love, trust, connection, engagement, presence, and respect for each other and others.

My relationships with family and friends have been the greatest contributor to my growth and development as a man.

My family has been there for me since the day I was born and their love and support hasn’t wavered since. Growing up, I never once felt without. Without love, without support, without the role models and resources I needed to understand what it meant to be a good man and to live a good life. Now that I’m older, I’m able to pour more love, support, engagement and appreciation into their cup. I owe them my life and I am willing to give them the best that I have to give. Our connection and conversations are rich with love and trust.

My friends are the most dynamic facet of my life. I have friends that I’ve been close with forever and who know me as well as anyone and we still connect and share that amazingly close brotherhood and bond. I also have friends that I’ve met along my journey in life and they have become as much a part of me as my family. These kinds of relationships are rare and I savor them as much as any of my blessings in life. The friendships I’ve built over the years have been in the highest alignment with values, growth and vision for the future and have added a depth and dimension to my life beyond anything I could explain in words. There’s a realness and substance to my friendships that I am externally grateful for.

If you remember, the question asked about who I ideally wanted to be and what my ideal future self’s life and environment were like. I’ve yet to get to career accomplishments. But after going deeper on the foundation of my life, I’ve realized a couple of things…

So long as I’m mindful to my foundation, life will be good. So long as I’m mindful to my foundation, life will be as rich in accomplishments and experiences as I could ever wish for.

I’ve also realized that it is from an unwavering commitment to our foundation that we make possible dreams that far surpass any hope we could have had for them.

I’ll complete the exercise and focus on the work I will do in the world, which is so incredibly significant and meaningful to me. But my foundation of FAITH, HEALTH, KATHLEEN, CHRISTIAN, KENNEDY, FAMILY & FRIENDS will always be my greatest focus and my finest accomplishment.

Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

With passion, with commitment, and with gratitude,

PK