Dad, how do I?
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Transcript provided by YouTube. Slightly edited with AI.
Sure, here’s the transcript without time codes and edited for punctuation and spelling:
Dad, how do I do?
Hey, kids. So, I wanted to share some quotes and wisdom with you as we start the new year. But first, I have a dad joke for you: What is a New Year’s resolution? Something that goes in one year and out the other.
Anyway, the first quote comes from J.P. Morgan, and he says, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” I’m sure, like most of us, you probably made some resolutions for the new year because we all love a fresh start.
To help make your goals a reality, remember to write them down; otherwise, they’re just dreams. Once they’re written down, break them into achievable baby steps to get you where you want to go. I’ve always loved the term “baby steps” because when you see a baby first trying to walk, it’s amazing to see their determination.
When they fall down, they don’t just sit there and say, “Oh well, I guess this walking thing just isn’t for me.” They may get frustrated and take a break, but then they get back at it. Somewhere along the line, we tend to lose that tenacity. Remember to be kind to yourself and don’t give in to the idea that maybe you’re just not good at something, at least until you’ve given it a fair shot. Don’t give up quickly.
If you’re not sure which step to take, it reminds me of the quote from the Cheshire Cat when Alice is lost in Wonderland. She says to the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to go,” says the cat. “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t really matter which way you go,” says the cat. How true is that? If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t really matter.
So, if you find yourself stuck with no idea what to do next, I would encourage you to get alone by yourself without any distractions. Yes, that means putting down your phone as hard as that might be. I would start by being quiet and maybe spending some time in prayer. First, then write down where you want to be in one year, five years, maybe 20 years. Then write down ways to get there.
For example, let’s say you want to lose weight. Well, how much weight do you want to lose? Let’s say 20 pounds. So, how do you get there? Well, maybe by cutting calories and exercising. An average person burns about 2500 calories a day, so that will obviously vary depending on your size, your gender, and the amount of activity that you get done in a day.
So, if you want to lose weight, you will need to eat less than you burn so your body uses your stored fat for energy. If you add exercise in, you’ll burn even more calories, so you can lose weight faster. If you keep this up over time, you will lose weight. Set smaller goals for yourself to get yourself there. Remember the quote, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” So maybe set a goal of two pounds a week. In a month, you’ll lose 10 pounds. In two months, you will lose 20 pounds. Then you’re there. You could stretch that out if you needed to. You have to make the goals realistic, but you also have to push yourself. So there’s a tension there.
Remember to celebrate the little victories as you pursue your goals. Something to kind of aim for to keep you going. It might start rough, but keep going, and don’t give up. If you stop, it’s okay to start again. Remember, baby steps. Many of us will just give up, but tomorrow is a new day, so keep fighting to get where you want to go.
Here’s another quote from Neato Cubain, and he says, “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.” I’m old enough to remember when not all cars had power steering. Yep, I’m that old. If you tried to turn the steering wheel when the car wasn’t moving, it was nearly impossible, especially when I was younger. I wasn’t so strong. But once you get the car moving, it’s much easier to steer.
You know, this analogy might seem simple enough, but if you don’t start moving, you’re never going to get where you want to be. Once you start moving, then you’re able to adjust along the way. But you’ve got to get moving. Here’s another quote for you from Thomas Jefferson. He says, “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” So, I want to remind you to try to let go of the past.
Don’t keep dragging the past into the future. That’s wasted energy that you can spend on things that are much more beneficial to you. I can promise you that. Don’t keep playing the victim card. There are far too many people that blame their present and ultimately their future on what happened to them in the past. It’s just not beneficial. You know, it might feel good to play the victim, but I believe it holds us back from all that we can be and accomplish in our lives.
Once we take personal responsibility for our own lives, speaking from firsthand experience, I’ve come to believe that forgiveness is critical to your future. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping it hurts the other person when it is really hurting you. Maybe you need to forgive someone. Maybe you need to ask for forgiveness, or maybe you need to forgive yourself for something you’ve done.
I do want to add, if you’ve been through something traumatic, I’m not trying to belittle that. And if you’re struggling to get past it, please get help. There are a lot of good mental health resources out there, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of to admit that maybe you’re not okay. It might actually take great strength for you to get there, but I’m proud of you for trying.
It was nice spending time with you today. Thanks for hanging out with me, and maybe we’ll do more of these as the year progresses. I hope you have a great year, and God bless.
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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