For Christmas last year, I received an especially nice gift from my eldest daughter, Regina.

It's a hardcover book of her favorite pictures of me and us from over the years, and it's called "Dad Through My Eyes."

Well, I can tell you my eyes grew misty when I opened that gift.

I texted Dave Smith, who has small children, to say: someday your sweet little girl will give you a gift like this.

One thing I realized is that Regina sees me modeling for them in life the principles I've taught her and her sisters with my words.

Before I proceed, understand that I am not teaching them to be workaholics. I already lived that life myself, and it's no way to be.

But what I do teach them -- and really, isn't this what any of us would teach our kids? -- is that they should live up to their potential. That every day they will be presented with a choice between being the person they were meant to be, or being mediocre.

I want them to challenge themselves, to follow things that make them curious, to learn another language, to think about having their own business, to pursue healthy habits so they can live life to the fullest -- I'm sure you and I could come up with a dozen more things like these, easily.

Yet here's the strange thing.

Do we ourselves follow this advice we give our children?

Are we pursuing excellence rather than mediocrity? Are we making real progress in our lives -- whether in the quality of our relationships, the condition of our finances, the state of our health, or any number of other things?

Would we tell our children, "Start off having aspirations, but then be content to live according to a repetitious daily routine that sucks the life out of you?"

The question answers itself.

So if we wouldn't urge that on our kids, but instead want them to live up to their potential, why don't we do the same thing ourselves?

The beginning of a new year is an opportunity for a pattern interrupt, to do something you've never done before, and to determine to make improvements, even radical ones.

If the advice is good for our kids, it's good for us -- and they should observe us living it.

Here's how I have been living it, and despite the overwhelming temptation to close this email without clicking, I invite you to click that link and join me (especially since the doors are closing soon):

https://www.2026Crusher.com

Tom Woods