The Dad Edge Podcast

The life that Jason Mackenzie had longed for was ripped out from underneath him when the mother of his daughters was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After years of trying to hide the pain of watching his wife literally fall apart before him, Jason had to face the reality that his dream life was gone. His wife committed suicide and left him to raise their two daughters on his own. To deal with the pain of his wife’s condition, Jason turned to drinking.

I recently had the honor of interviewing Jack Canfield one-on-one for an hour. I have to tell you it was one the most inspiring interviews I have done to date. For those of you who don’t know Jack Canfield, he is one of the most successful authors and success coaches of our time. He known world-wide for his Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and his Success Principles Series. His books have reached the lives of over 100 million readers and his inspiration is reaching more people every day. Before I did this interview, I only knew Jack Canfield as the successful person he is today. I have often heard the quote: “When you see a successful person, we usually only see the tip of the iceberg. We usually don’t see all the hardships, failures, and challenges these people have gone through in their lives to get where they are today.” After spending an hour with Jack, I can tell you I was shocked to hear about his challenging childhood with alcoholic parents, the number of times he was rejected for “Chicken Soup for the Soul” (144 rejections), and that he earned a C+ in writing at Harvard. Below are just few takeaways I learned from spending just 60 minutes with Jack Canfield DON'T LET YOUR CHILDHOOD CRIPPLE YOU Jack had a very difficult childhood raised by a father who was an alcoholic. The cool thing about Jack Canfield is that he used his childhood as an example of what he didn't want to be as an adult. The main point is we have people in or society that live in two camps. Camp #1- Those of us who leverage challenging times to fuel our future success. Camp #2- Those of us who use our backgrounds for excuses as to why we are not successful and never will be. So my question to you guys is: “WHAT CAMP DO YOU LIVE IN?” If you are in camp #2: Congrats because you have made an awesome choice on the path to an empowering life versus a victim mentality life. If you are in camp #1: it’s time to re-evaluate your life and ask yourself better questions. If you are in camp one...go back and listen to Episode 28 with Navy Seal Commander Mark Divine on HOW TO CREATE AN UNBEATABLE MIND. That episode will give you a solid foundation on how to forge mental toughness and become resilient. DON'T LET YOUR GRADES DICTATE YOUR SUCCESS IN LIFE Jack got a “C+” in writing at Harvard and was always told he was an "average writer.” Jack is now one of the most successful authors of our time. Had he listened to his professors at Harvard and didn't move forward with his passion to tell stories, our generation would not know the Jack Canfield we know today and he would have never had such a positive impact on the world. S So, my question to you is: “WHAT HAVE OTHER PEOPLE TOLD YOU ABOUT YOUR SKILL OR PASSION THAT YOU HAVE BOUGHT INTO?” What if for a minute you no longer bought into those labels? What if you decided to step into your greatness? What would be the worst that could happen? I grantee 2 things are certain: If you failed you would be no worse off than you are right now. If you decided to pursue your dream, whether you failed or succeeded, you would not live a life of "I wish". Pay Flynn has a great quote that really hits this home which is..."I would rather have a life of "oh-wells and not a life of I wish I would haves.” DON'T LET FAILURE STOP YOU Jack was rejected by 144 publishers for his first “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Book. Let that sink in for a second...144 rejections. How would you feel about your purpose/passion if you were rejected 5 times, 10 times, 50 times, or even 100 times? What if Jack Would have thrown in the towel at the 143rd rejection? The cool thing that Jack Canfield mentioned is that he would have self-published no matter what. It's empowering to have a backup plan and know you will move forward even if it's on your own when no one else believes in you. The lesson here is to fail forward and not give up. Each time we fail there is a life lesson, we learn, and we move forward. Guys, thank you for tuning in to our new segment - Five Minute Thursday's. The goal of this mid-week podcast is to give you the powerhouse cliff notes of the week, to kick start your weekend, and ultimately to empower your life. Guys make sure you head to gooddadproject.com to get several free resources. Also make sure you grab a copy of “The Dads Edge” on Amazon. It's an easy read and has become a bestseller. See you next week with a powerhouse guest! Up next week have Jason Mackenzie with The Book of Open, we also have Joe De Sena, founder of the Spartan Races and NYT BESTSELLER of SPARTAN UP. FINALLY also have professional UFC fighter Frankie Edgar also coming up in a few weeks. Guys have a great weekend and live your life with purpose and without regret!

Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul as well as a new book, 30 Day Sobriety Solution, gives a fresh perspective on this sometimes difficult balance. Jack Canfield on Resiliency So, maybe you didn’t have the best childhood, or maybe you grew up with every privilege under the sun. It really doesn’t matter. It’s really all about how you come out of the situation and how you respond to the situations you’ve been through. Through this, you provide your children with the ultimate example of resiliency and success. “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you, but not from you. And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.”- Khalil Gibran. Wow. Such an impactful statement, but one that might be hard to put into practice. We want so much for our children to have the best of everything that we sometimes lose sight of our role in their lives. Sometimes we forget that our children are their own person, not a smaller replica of ourselves. In not understanding this difference, we may try to put our children in activities or situations we wish we would have had for our own childhoods. Jack Canfield on Intention But, it’s also about having the intention and willingness to put in the time. Jack had regrets and guilt in parenting, but he was able overcome those feelings because he knew he had to be the best example as a father. He knew he had to love each of his children individually. There’s a lesson here: you’ve got to love each child the way they want to receive it, not the way you want to give it. Accept your child for the person they are, not for whom you want them to be. Sometimes we try to turn our children into the children we wished we could have been or have the opportunities that will make us look like good parents. You have children; you are not your children. You have to let them be themselves. Correcting Behavior and Praise When children make mistakes, instead of constantly correcting them for what they have done wrong, point out what they have done right. Leave it there. Then, when they attempt the same task again, praise what they did the time before and then give a suggestion regarding the part of the task they need to correct. If you have young children, be careful with how you approach moments where they fail and succeed. Between the ages of 3-8, Jack says, research indicates that their self esteem is at its most vulnerable. Granted, during their entire childhood children are building their self worth, but it is these years that seem the most critical. Jack Canfield and The 30 Day Sobriety Solution But being the best parent for our children stems, as we’ve seen so many times on the GDP, from how we respond to challenges in our daily lives. Jack approaches this in his new book, 30 Day Sobriety Solution. You may not be an alcoholic, but Jack says in his book that even when we are casual, social drinkers, we still may be using that glass of wine or a beer to “wind down” or “take the edge off.” You may even find that when you have that drink, you aren’t really present for those you love: you’d rather fall asleep instead of reading your child that bed time story after the simple glass of wine (or two). Maybe you question how you’ll enjoy a night out without that one drink, or how you’ll get through that social work setting without the beer. But as Jack points out and his book addresses, there may be some underlying factors we may be covering with that drink. It's about being your BEST SELF It’s really about being your best self in all aspects of your life-putting down a drink may just be one of them. Jack’s advice? Be as committed to being a great dad as you are to your job, your hobby or other things you find important. If you want something different, you have to do something different. The choices you make and actions you take today determine your outcomes for tomorrow. Free Resources: Check out a free chapter from: THE DAD’S EDGE on UNLIMITED PATIENCE HERE Check out this free resource on: CONNECTION WITH YOUR SPOUSE Check out this free resource on: CONNECTION WITH YOUR KIDS Links Amazon Bestselling Book: The Dad's Edge - 9 Simple Ways to Have: Unlimited Patience, Improved Relationships, and Positive Lasting Memories Larry’s New Course: The Dad’s Edge - 6 Strategies to Achieve: Unlimited Patience, Improved Relationships, and Positive Lasting Memories Larry’s Twitter Page Larry’s Facebook Page Larry’s Instagram Page Shawn’s Website Shawn’s Twitter Page Shawn’s Facebook Page Shawn’s Instagram Page Jack Canfield Links: Jack Canfield Website The 30 Day Solution Jack Canfield Facebook Fan Page Jack Canfield Twitter The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman Thank you for checking out this episode with Jack Canfield. This episode is one to remember!

In this episode, you will discover the importance of sleep and how it effects every critical aspect of our lives. You will also discover the detrimental effects of sleep loss. Finally, you will walk away from this episode with several sleep tips that will greatly improve your sleep quality and you can start using tonight!

George Bryant: Marine, successful author, innovator in the field of the Paleo Diet. These accolades don’t exactly trigger images of someone you might believe has had to battle through some of life’s greatest challenges. Though, George Bryant is just that man. It is only through his incredibly difficult childhood, one of tremendous neglect and abuse, that he found his true strength. George has taken what could have been one heck of an excuse to opt out of being successful in life and turned it into the ultimate inspiration.

Jim Harshaw believes failure, struggle and setbacks are not only an inevitable part of life but a necessary step on the path to success. Jim Harshaw has learned many life lessons on the wrestling mat. Having been a Division I All American and won three ACC Championships for the University of Virginia, trained at the Olympic Training Center and competed overseas for Team USA he has experienced significant triumph and devastating defeat. He relates those powerful lessons of failure, struggle and setback to empower his audiences to overcome their own challenges and achieve success despite their inevitable failures.

Larry and Shawn interviewed Jim Miller to discuss his perspective on living life to the fullest and living a life without regrets. This show is a game changer and by far one of our best yet for the Good Dad Project Podcast. There are so many nuggets in this interview that are life changing. Tune in, enjoy, and share it.

Larry reveals why he is so passionate about being a dad with purpose, his challenging childhood, and how he has become a student of fatherhood. In this episode, he shares details of his childhood, fatherless environment, the lowest points in his life, and how he has turned his struggles into strategies for success.

In this intimate look into the life of Shawn Stevenson, one half of The Good Dad Project Podcast, Shawn shares the reason he is so passionate about fatherhood and being part of this wonderful program. This successful author, entrepreneur, health and wellness expert (not to mention being “audio velvet”) takes us behind the scenes into his upbringing and the challenges he faced that brought him to achieve his best version of himself.

Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman is a force to be reckoned with. He is a tough in every aspect of life... physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For the most part, we only get to see fighters in the UFC in one dimension. Meaning, we only get to see these elite athletes in the cage. What if we could get a glimpse of other areas of their life? What if we could learn about their grit and drive to succeed? What do they do that others won’t to get where they are today? Today’s show you will learn all about The Spaniard. He shares his childhood, views on grit, and what is most important to him as a father and husband. Sit back, brace yourself... this show is awesome!