Auto Repair Shop Owner's Daily Dose 6: We Are Unstoppable! (Family)

We Are Unstoppable! by Rick White, President 180BIZ

 Today we're going to talk about families. The aspect of family that I want to talk about today is kids. The first thing I want to bring up is how many of us have children or grandchildren in our lives and our days are filled with regret.  We’re missing things because we’re too busy at work. 

But work is your life. You don't get to bond with your kids the way you would like to. I've had that problem with my kids, with my grandkids, and I'm getting better with it. I'm willing to wager that there are so many of you that have had times in your life where you feel that regret too.  Well, now is an amazing opportunity to better relate with your kids and your grandkids.

But if you're filled with fear, if you're worried about the way things are going and what to do about it, you're not going to connect with your kids. They're going to be there, sometimes under your feet. In fact, you may find yourself snapping at them because you're so concerned with what's going on over there that you're not seeing what's right here.  And honestly, what's right here is so much more important.

(1) Connection.  So, the first thing I want you to do when we're talking to your kids is to connect. And that doesn't mean you tell them things you do. Connect means that you understand and appreciate their world. You understand where they're at. You ask them how they're feeling. You ask them what they're thinking. You ask them what they're afraid of. This is how you understand and appreciate their world. And this is a great time to do it. They're home from school and you're probably going to be spending a little bit more time at home. This can give us a chance to reconnect.

There's a really great audio program called The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale. It was done, I think, in 1953 and is about 36 minutes long. One of the things that Earl Nightingale says in it, which is so true even today, is that we spend our whole life protecting the things that we can replace, such as money, houses, and cars. And we take for granted all the more important things, such as our mind, our health, and the people in our lives. This is an opportunity to do a reset, a reboot. An opportunity to step back and remember that, yes, business is important to live, but life is more important. Business is important. Customers are important. Your team is important.  But the family is more important. Kids are more important.

They are your legacy. They are going to help you. They are going to be there when someone wants to judge you. They are the measurement of the impact that you had in life.  Your kids are a direct reflection of you. So, the first thing you must do is connect with your kids and get inside of their world.

(2) Reassurance. The second thing to do is to reassure them.  It’s not going to be your words that will reassure your kids.  It’s your actions.  It’s what you do and how you do it.  What you’re feeling and what you’re thinking will all come out in your actions. For example, you may be saying that “It’s going to be okay,” but be in constant freak-out mode.  Your actions show stress, disconnect, and overreaction to small things. So, to be able to reassure, it must come from inside, from a place of peace.

(3) Routine. The third thing that will help you to better get in touch with your kids is to recognize the power of routines. Routines ground us. Getting up in the morning at the same time and get your kids up as if they were going to school, too. Eat breakfast in the same way. Do everything the same. The routines will ground your children. Giving them a sense of stability will keep them going.  There's a really great show on TV, Animal Planet, called The Cat from Hell. A guy named Jackson Galaxy is a brilliant cat behaviorist if you can believe that. He talks about the power of routines with animals, as well. Routines are going to save you. When you stay in your routines, you're going to feel like you're in control. That’s a big deal.

(4) Power of Words. Don't go around all day long telling your kids what they can't do. That's going to make it feel like a prison. Instead, step back, be creative, and come up with what they can do. For example, some of our grandkids live 15 minutes away. Because their dad has been sick, they aren’t permitted to come over for a visit.  My grandson, Emory who is 3 years old, is absolutely going out of his mind.  He wants to come over. Brenda and I were talking last night and decided that we will call him on Skype.  We will read a book or play a game or something like that with him and the other grandkids. We could watch TV together or something like that to find a way to connect with them. So, use the power of possibility. What can you do? Think about it. Plan some activities that will help you to connect and bond better with your children and grandchildren.

(5) Adventure. The next thing I want you to do is to make it an adventure. You're going to set the tone on what's going on. Make it an adventure. Make it like a big sleepover. One of the coolest things we ever did with my grandson, Brandon, when he was younger was to make a fort in the living room. Get chairs out of the dining room and put blankets in there and put lights in there and read the comic books.

You can turn a really sad event into a memorable experience. It's all going to be based on how you represent it to your kids. You're going to do that with your peace. You're going to do that with your creativity, and you're going to do that with the words you use, the actions you take. So please make this an adventure every day. There are all kinds of memes going around right now. I saw one that I thought was hilarious. The meme was a homeschooling situation with an update. Two students expelled for fighting and one teacher fired for drinking on the job. And I just thought, Oh my gosh, we need much laughter in our lives right now. So, get out there and be fun. Be the light for your people. Be the light for your kids. I'm showing you how to be the light for your kids. Please. Let's keep them mentally healthy through this. It starts with us.

(6) Better Future. The last thing I want you to do is to keep talking about a better future. Talk about going back to the way it was. Talk to your kids and grandkids about going back to school and seeing their friends. Talk about getting back to normal and how that will happen. We must help our kids realize this is a moment in time. Talk will help them realize this isn't forever

So, connect with your kids and understand and appreciate their world. Reassure them. Use routines and the power of your positive words. Make it an adventure and speak positively of the future.

God Bless.