NEW POST: What I Want My Boys To Say About Me After I'm Gone

I was at the beach last night watching my boys surf. I was thinking about life's magical moments and this was certainly one of those. I was reminded about how important it is to be a parent with purpose. I have made alot of mistakes in my life and learned many lessons about effective parenting. Without question, one of the things that has made the biggest difference is asking my boys to hold me accountable. Weird? Think about it.

We all need accountability, coaching, friendly reminders from time to time, on how we are to live, and honoring comitments we have made. I feel healthy, excited and purposeful in life and yet the other day I went negative in front of my oldest son, Jon. He reminded me of my covenant - "he was a positive man and always looked on the bright side of things." Instantly, my heart and spirit got happy and I smiled. Jon said, "see dad, that wasn't hard".

Here's my point - whether it's a covenant you make with your spouse, kids or your customers, when you go on record saying you will be something or do something, and then share that with key people in your world, they will help you stay on track and stay the course.

Here's what I wrote down when I thought about the legacy my actions would leave for my boys - this is my covenant to them. And by the way, I did the same thing with Sheryl - still too raw to share- but I'm convinced it helped us finish strong and spend 25 years together before she lost her battle to cancer.

Enjoy:

1. He loved God with all of his heart

2. He loved mom and treated her with respect and kindness

3. He always spent time with us – he put us first during his moments at home

4. He was fun to be with and made us laugh

5. He taught us what manhood was all about

6. He prayed with us to ask God into our life

7. He taught us the importance of prayer and scriptures

8. He was a positive man who always looked on the bright side of things

9. He made a difference in our lives

10. We learned from him:

 Honesty
 Gratitude
 Attitude
 Love
 Discipline
 Completion
 Focus
 Honor
 Persistence
 To always be our best


Go ahead! Be bold! Make some promises that will lift you and those you love to a higher level.