And here the journey begins. When it comes to the daily grind of life, nobody is better at getting through each day without much change better than me. This is not to say that I don't love my wife and my kids, or that I don't enjoy my job. I absolutely and truly have a great life. The problem is that I take for granted that I have a strong and selfless wife, wonderful and healthy kids, and a good steady job. However, I have grown tired of being idle and complacent, tired of not holding myself accountable for growing as a person. I often think about how protective I am of my family, how I would gladly "fall on the sword" or "take a bullet" for my wife and kids. But recently, I asked myself this question: "I would die for my family, but does that matter if I am not living for them?"
This question shook me into the reality that I need to start making a much greater effort on who I am as a person. The purpose of starting this blog is twofold: 1) To hold myself accountable for my growth as a person, and 2) to allow others to be helped by what I learn as I make this journey into self-discovery. My hope is that through this blog, I will be able to become a better spouse, father, and member of the community in which I live.
When I toyed around with the idea of finally taking the steps to improve myself, I did a lot of research on how and where to start this journey. I decided to start with a website that is dedicated to helping men become better men, called the the Art of Manliness (later on I will refer to other websites that influenced my journey). The first step I plan to take is called "30 Days to a Better Man" and the first challenge I am faced with is creating my core values. After spending plenty of time contemplating what my core values might be, I whittled it down to 5 core values that are extremely important to me.
My Core Values
1. Faith and God (have faith, practice faith, and share the faith)
2. Family (take care of my spouse and children)
3. Honesty/Integrity (be honest...even if it's brutal)
4. Health (taking care of me)
5. Service (how can I serve others)
These core values may not completely reflect who I am right now, but reflect who I want to be. The plan is to complete each exercise (at least for the next 30 days) and then continue to grow from there as a man. There are no groups that can help hold me accountable, so I am hoping that by doing this blog, I will keep myself accountable (along with the readers who may follow me). Wish me luck for the next 29 days of my first 30 day challenge!
Scott Embrock
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