This is going to change the game. I've got 10 tips for you on how to be a
better husband and father. Let's do this as a top 10 countdown. Are you ready for
this? Number 10 on our list is to clean up. And I need to be more specific.
Clean up. Take a bath, get a shower. Don't be stinky. Which seems pretty obvious. I
know. But sometimes we lose track of this. And it has an impact on how we show up
for those people that we love. Including our wife and our kids. So clean up. Pay a
little bit of attention to maintaining the equipment. Will you do that? We've got
2 more clean ups on the list. Because at number 9 is to clean up the dishes.
Now, there might be the dishes, it might be something else. But pay attention to
the stuff that needs to be handled. It's really easy sometimes as a husband and
father to kick into the mode of, "Well, other people are gonna take care of that."
Right? What other people? I remember taking a little walk with my kids one
day through the house. And we identified things that were not in their place. You
go into the kitchen right now, you're gonna find some stuff that's out of
place, right? Or on the floor in the living room. Or as you walk down the hall.
There's toys, there's clothes, there's dishes. Stuff all over the place. So when
I say clean up the dishes, notice that stuff and take care of it. As we were
doing this little walking tour of the house. I asked my kids at every point.
Whose job is it to take care of that? Whose job is it to put that thing in its
place? Whose job is it to clean that thing up? And they had a pretty good
answer. They said, "Well, it's whoever's job that left it there.
It's their job to pick it up." Okay, not a bad answer not the best answer. Whose job
is it? You know what? When mom walks through that house, she assumes
it's her job. And she just takes care of it. what if we could all be better moms?
And as a husband and a father, take on that mentality. It's your job, take care
of it. Don't assume that it's your wife's job or anyone else's job. You take it on.
Clean up the dishes. Coming in at number 8 on our countdown list today is the
last cleanup one. Clean up something that she hates to clean up. Your wife probably
has a few chores that she really doesn't like that she does anyway. What if you
were to be sensitive enough to tune in to what those jobs are and just take
care of it for her. Here's an example. My wife absolutely hates laundering and
changing the sheets on the bed. Now, she'll do it and she'll take it on just
like she does everything else. But Vicky really doesn't like to change the sheets
on the bed. I don't mind it that much but even if I
did, how much better of a husband and father would I be if I just step up and
take care of that thing that she hates to do. Get her done. Number 7, go ahead
and ask for directions. This is one of the pet peeves. I get this sometimes when
I survey wives about what bothers them about their husbands. And there's even
sitcoms that make fun of this. Oh, I've got it. I'm not going to ask for directions,
right? Which is actually a form of destructive pride. Be humble enough to
ask for directions. And if you want to power this one up, ask her and then be
open to her counsel and her influence. She's a wise, benevolent, loving person in
your life. And if you'll be open to the influence of your wife especially that
is going to score you all kinds of points in the husband game. Number 6 on
our countdown list today. Listen. Simple. Again, you've got two ears and one
mouth. And if you're not using them in that proportion, you're probably driving
your wife a little crazy. Listen and show her that you're listening. Here's a
little tip repeat back to her what you understand that she just said. This is
going to blow her away. Because usually you're like, "Yeah, uh-huh.
Whatever." And you're not getting it. You know that, she knows that. What if you
were to say, "Okay, sweetie. So, things were kind of tough at work today, huh?"
And she's going to be like, "What?" This is a cool way to do it. Powerful idea, brilliant
idea. Number 5 on our countdown list today is get enough sleep. You might
wonder why does this make me a better husband and father. Well it has a whole
lot to do with your psychological functioning. And there's an interesting
dynamic that comes u, in a loving relationship especially between a
husband and a wife. I've talked to so many wives who are having a hard time
sleeping because their husband isn't sleeping well. Either he's up all night
or he stays up too late. You know what? It's a good idea to go to bed at the
same time. This reduces anxieties for a lot of reasons so that we won't get into
on this particular video. But it also creates an environment that is more
conducive for both partners to get a lot of good sleep. If you have a condition
that causes you to to snore or to have sleep apnea or something that's
interfering, get some help for that. This is going to be good for you because your
life will improve and it's one of the best things you can do for her. Get
enough sleep. That one might have surprised you.
Number 4, exercise. You take care of yourself, your health, your fitness. Your
appearance matters. And I don't want to get all superficial about that. It's not
what it's all about. What it's about is taking care of you. And that's one of the
most loving kind things that you can do for everyone who
loves you. They worry about you. And if you're overweight or if you're out of
shape, they're worried about you. They think about it. They might not even say
anything to you because they don't want to hurt your feelings. They don't want to
offend you. But honestly, take a look at yourself and see what you need to do to
take get better care of the equipment. Close on its heels at number 3 is
lose the weight. "Oh, you thought I meant weight loss?" No, I mean lose the wait. W-
A-I-T. Don't procrastinate things. Those things that you've been promising
yourself and your family that you would do, let's ditch the waiting part of this
and get down to the business part of this thing. What's getting in your way
anyway? What's stopping you from doing this? And usually the answer to that is
your own thinking. Lose the weight and get to those things that you've been
promising yourself and your family that you would do. Powerful. That's why it came
in at number 3. Number 2 on our countdown list today is to practice and
express appreciation. There is a divine power in gratitude. Gratitude expressed
is appreciation. That gives you the opportunity to thank the people in your
life for the rich and abundant contributions that they make. While
you're at it, let the people in your life know that they are your top priority.
That there is nothing else in your life that's quite as important as your sweet
wife and your dear children. Let them know that. This strengthens you as a man
and as a husband. You will be seen as a person of influence as you practice and
express appreciation. And that brings me to number 1. Number 1 on our list of
how to be a better husband and father is to smile.
And be positive. What a gift that is to the people in your life. If you're all
grumpy and you're you know focused on things that aren't going well or you're
complaining about everything, that creates a negative energy that just
sucks people down. For you to smile... Well first of all, what if you're just
starting this, people are going to wonder what the heck you're up to. But persist
with it. Smile and bring some positivity to those relationships. It's a powerful
way to give them a gift of positivity. Some of those surprise you, some of them
didn't. Maybe you've got some other ideas of what's going to power you up as a
husband and father. Or maybe you're a wife or a mother who
wants to give some insight too. Comment down below. Let's get the conversation
going so that we can help each other to live on purpose.