Recovering Workaholic Dads

A growth mindset is all about learning, making progress, and continuing to improve in important areas of your life. As an employee or business leader, that might look like improving a process, innovating a product or service, or becoming a more influential leader. At home, it might mean being a more connected and influential dad. With your spouse, it looks like improving your emotional quotient and building a better relationship with open, honest, and vulnerable communication. With your health, it means getting more fit, strong, and flexible. With your hobbies, like golf, it could mean enjoying the game more or improving your score. And with friends, it might just mean connecting more frequently and at a deeper level.

As of this recording Coach Brad White is 49. And like other folks who are getting older, it can be tougher to stay fit and keep your health in check. But when can you make the time to workout? In this episode Brad shares a stupid-silly secret about how to use the getting older process as a way to create a healthy exercise habit.

In this episode, coach Brad White shares a few recent experiences related to values, healthy boundaries, and self-discipline. When playing golf, how often do you check your phone? Are you able to unplug and relax? When you have a meeting scheduled, how often do you cancel the meeting because someone else wants that time? Ultimately, you should be making decisions and living your life in ways that honor your values and priorities. The goal of this episode is to help you reflect on your values and be more mindful of the choices you are making every day.

In the episode, Brad interviews Michael G. Dash, Author of Chasing the High. This fascinating interview shares a glimpse into the life of an addictive personality, which is highly relatable to workaholics, alcoholics, rushaholics, etc. Michael shares the story of being an entrepreneur, the son of a workaholic entrepreneur, and the devastating impact on your mental and physical health when you let those demons control your thoughts and actions. Michael's story travels from one addiction to another, until he finally found how to create positive and productive habits to change his life, and how to live in a FLOW state. Learn more about Michael at https://michaelgdash.com. Also, check out his webinar for entrepreneurs dealing with such addictions at https://michaelgdash.com/fate. Finally, go buy his amazing book at https://chasingthehighbook.com.

Brad White answers subscriber questions such as: How can a recovering workaholic keep from losing ground compared to other workaholics who are working longer hours, and what caused ME to be a workaholic?

Brad shares his thoughts about creating a life plan and vision statement, and does a deep dive into friendships that matter. Brad's vision for friends includes people he would walk 1000 miles for and who would walk 1000 miles for him. These are the deep, meaningful friendships he is trying to create in his life. How about you? What is your vision in the area of friendships? Who would you walk 1000 miles for and visa-versa?

Do you work a lot of hours? You may be taking on more than you should, you might not be as focused as you need to be, you may not be as effective as you should be. Action plan: think about what you are doing or keep a time log to determine where the time is going.

Brad talks about the time-focus concept. In your life, you will get more of what you focus on. So, if you focus on work, your life will become all about work. If you focus on health and fitness, your life will become all about health and fitness. The goal is to give bits of focus to important areas of your life on purpose, rather than allowing any one area to rule your life.

I don't walk the dog (very much) because I have other higher priorities. We all have a list of things on our plate, but not all of it is important. We DO what we focus on. We DO what we prioritize. The lesson here is that we need to focus on things that are priorities in our life, and it's ok to let other things go. What do you need to say NO to so you can focus on higher priorities?

Brad explores where we get our value from. Oftentimes, we place too much emphasis on our jobs and our identity is totally wrapped up in our occupation. However, what happens when you lose your job or can no longer perform your job for some reason. Is your life over? Does your worth suddenly hit rock bottom? Does depression set in? If you find your true worth and self value, you'll be able to survive such life events and your mental state will be strong enough to carry you forward.

Coach Brad shares his thoughts on the difference between having a strong work ethic and being a workaholic. There are clear differences and some grey areas to consider too. Listen in and see if you are a workaholic. Also, take the workaholism quiz online for a great assessment of your workaholism tendencies: https://recoveringworkaholicdads.com/workaholism-quiz/

Brad did something fun for his birthday recently that was a real game changer. In this episode, Coach Brad hopes to inspire you to seize the moment and do something fun. All work and no play? You need to hear this message. Also, tell us what you have done for fun at https://recoveringworkaholicdads.com.

In this episode, Coach Brad shares lessons from his life. When reflecting on his own life, Brad found that always learning, always connecting, and always being grateful were keys to a joyful, passionate, and meaningful life.

Dads need a support network and the best time to create one is now! In this episode, Coach Brad lays out a simple 6 step process to build a support network that will be there when you most need it. Admit you could benefit from a support network Ask for help Be transparent/vulnerable with your friends Help others with their needs Schedule time together Be consistent and followup

In this episode, Coach Brad shares how to take control of your workaholism one small step at a time. All it takes is setting a doable goal, accomplishing that goal, gaining the appreciation that you ARE in control of your time, and repeating the experience. You can do this!

As dads, we've all had those moments when our kids come see us crying, throwing up, totally upset because of something that just happened. We rally to their side and comfort them. But what about normal days when there isn't a crisis. Instead of them coming to you crying and miserable, they just say Dad, will you play with me? Dad, can we spend some time together? Dad, are you coming home soon? Be there for your kids even when it's not a crisis.

Brad White answers subscriber questions such as: How can a workaholic work on making more time for their significant other? Have you ever made career sacrifices/compromises to put your relationship first? How did you deal? How does one cope with having no life outside of work when free time is important to you? How do you take time for yourself while working and going to school? Listen in as Coach Brad addresses these questions with practical and straight-forward advice. Ask your own question to be answered on a future episode at https://recoveringworkaholicdads.com

Learn life lessons from a serial workaholic who realized later in life that his value wasn't just from his job. In this interview with John Jones, we explore the impact of being a workaholic on our wives and children, the pros and cons of being downsized from a corporate job, and why it's so important to put our families first. We also discuss how perfectionism and feelings of not being good enough influence workaholic behavior.

Patrick Antonucci, founder of Dad Hackers (dadhackers.us) and the Dad Hackers podcast shares tons of valuable information and tips on how Dads can connect with their families and leave a family legacy. As workaholic dads, we can learn ways to unplug and be present and engaged with our kids. As an added bonus, if you are a Christian or 1st generation Christian, Patrick's message carries additional meaning and clarity on our role as a Christian dad.

Michael Vaughn shares his story of battling workaholism, balancing life, and fitting in extreme sports, while being a business owner, contractor, and pursuing side hustles at the same time. He shares lessons about taking care of yourself so you can take care of others. Michael and his wife have also gotten completely out of debt through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace program, and Michael shares how that has been a blessing to his family. His stories can inspire and encourage us to accomplish more than we think is possible through commitment, determination, setting goals, and having a plan.