The last few months, my life has transformed. I am now a parent of a beautiful girl named Emery, and the future of my family has changed my decision making process.   The revelation and importance of foundation and proper endings have become apparent to me.  If you don’t end something well, you begin at a rough spot.

When I found out that I was going to go be a father a little over a year ago,  I was excited! Less than 24 hours later, I panicked. Our life as a young married couple with no children was over.  I thought that I would no longer have late night movie dates with Desiree, and lose the ability to hang out at a moment’s notice among other thoughts that passed through my head. My ego forced me to carry the burden alone, thinking that I was the only person feeling like this.  After a few weeks of stubbornness, I reached out to a friend and shared my fears with him. He reminded me that being nervous about the unknown is normal, but realize that maturity requires leaving something behind in order to move forward.

Growing up and maturation demands that you leave something behind.  You have to grow and develop into better version of yourself.  Every tree was once a seed, and every adult was a child (we can argue that fact in some cases). In holding on certain seasons too long, we keep ourselves from realizing our full potential.  Our potential isn’t for ourselves, but for others. It is our gift to one another to become our best self.

These changes in my life have made me a better man. Life experiences have a way of uncovering what has always been there. What’s funny is we, ourselves, are always the last to find out who we are. All of your loved ones are able to see you before you do.  They are waiting for you to show up.

Cry, Grieve, Celebrate, but do something healthy to embrace an ending with integrity.  Your new beginning is counting on it.