My mission is to help fathers be more intentional and impactful in their role. I am a father of 5 (husband of 1) and I live in Grand Rapids, MI. Check out the resources I offer below and sign up for my newsletter!
inputs determine outputs
Happy 2Cent Tuesday
Outputs are always downstream of inputs. I typically don't like to use absolute statements (and that is something we try not to do in our house), but this one is always true.
Think about any system. The way the system performs (the outputs) are a direct result of the inputs. You can't put water into your gas tank and expect your car to run. In the same way that you can't scream at your kids all the time and expect them to grow into mature adults.
The place I get tripped up is when I don't audit the inputs that I am letting into my body/mind. I am only forced to when the outputs start to reveal the inputs.
Here is an example that maybe you can relate to...I arrive home from work and I'm low energy. I am stressed from the day due to work, I am tired and I am short with my wife. That kicks things off on a bad note. I don't greet my kids and I fail to really engage at all. This leads to a generally somber mood at dinner that carries into the rest of the night. My wife and I don't really connect and then we end up in bed frustrated at one another and we don't really have a clear thing we can point to as to why.
Sound familiar?
The is a result of inputs.
Stress comes from the responsibilities we have at work/home.
The stress is amplified by poor sleep.
The poor sleep leads to not waking up early to pray and/or work out.
No morning routine leads to a rushed day.
The rushed day leads to eating fast food for lunch.
The crazy day leads to a desire to "veg out" usually on junk media/news.
The "veg out" leads to being emotionally disengaged with the family.
and so on....
This is a domino effect of bad inputs. The way to break this is to audit your inputs. Asking yourself about your inputs. How have I slept lately? How has my diet been? These basic inputs can lead to bad outputs like negative thoughts about yourself or others. Negative identity can come as a result of regular bad inputs.
The lesson in all this is that the outputs are telling you something about your inputs. They are a signal. If the outputs are bad, then something has to change about the inputs.
In the fatherhood arena with you,
~Mike
PS - If this resonated with you, let me know. If you think another dad can benefit then pass It along. We are in this together.
Hi! I'm Mike
My mission is to help fathers be more intentional and impactful in their role. I am a father of 5 (husband of 1) and I live in Grand Rapids, MI. Check out the resources I offer below and sign up for my newsletter!
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