Be the Example

I still remember the day that I got to experience the birth of our first child and was able to meet my daughter for the first time. I was overwhelmed with more feelings than I ever had been before. Not only was I gifted with such a perfect little bundle of joy, but I was also responsible for protecting her and guiding her as she begins her journey through life. I’ve been blessed to experience that two more times with the birth of my two sons as well.

I’ve tried to raise them with examples of love, caring, hard work, determination, humility, care for others and much more. I’ve had great support through amazing in-laws, supportive family members and fun friends. And overall, I have been blessed with what I think are the best kids any father could ask for.

And yet, as we go through life we find that we haven’t been successful at everything. And as you can guess, I didn’t provide the best example when it came to taking care of my health. One of the first thoughts I had after receiving my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis was that I had to fix this not just for me but for them. I know that they will have elevated risk for the same illness. I don’t want to lose days getting to experience their lives, their spouses, their kids, and God willing their kid’s kids. I am so happy that I received my DS while my kids were still living at home with me. Now I would have the chance to model how to treat this illness and go beyond my own abilities. I get extra strength when facing each day’s challenges knowing that I can provide a good example to them.

I know that not everyone will have the same motivation as I do, either because they didn’t have children or maybe they failed as an example in ways other than their health with their kids. Still, there are eyes looking at you to see what you will do when adversity strikes. It may be your spouse, your friends, your employees, other work colleagues, people at the place you volunteer, etc. Just the presence of other people and your connection to them can be a great motivator to improve your health. Your care for them can power you to do things you thought you were never be able to do on your own. So that’s my tip for a tool to overcome diabetes today. Connect to others and show them you care for them by taking care of yourself!