Father’s Day has come and gone for 2018. Many of us celebrated around the table with Dad or made a long distance phone call to reminisce and wish him a great day. Some felt the pang of celebrating his memory. And for a significant number of us, memories of an absent or abusive father only brought a deep sense of loss and grief. Whatever your circumstance, the importance of dads in our families and lives is inarguable.

According to a National Geographic news source, research indicates that bedtime stories, roughhousing, and sharing household chores with Dad bolsters a child’s self-esteem and emotional health. If memories of your dad are good, these things will resonate with you. If you are one who mourns an absent or abusive or even estranged father, the realization of what you missed out on may have left a void that seems unbearable.

There are some things we can change and some things we must accept. Life is unfair that way. However, while on Twitter the other day, I read an entry by a successful black man who shared the fact that he never knew his father and how he rose above his circumstances. He then posted a picture of himself with his little girl, probably 10 years old.

As you become more self-aware and are able to be more deliberate in your choices, you too have the power to break personal and familial cycles and intentionally direct yourself toward successful relationships, careers, and patterns. You do not have to remain the victim.

To learn more about becoming self-aware and finding the courage to break the cycles in your life, feel free to read my book The Self-Aware Life AND Workbook. Both are now available in paperback. Join the Journey!!