Pay attention to the “Little Ones”.

“Little One” is my wife.

“Little Two” is my son. He has dimples. He is 15 months old. He makes me smile.

They both do.

They make up “The Little Ones”.

“Little One” has taught me many things about living a happy life over the last five years. “Little Two” has joined the party.

Below are the 8 most valuable lessons that I have learned (so far) from team “Little Ones”.

1. Enjoy the moment:

It is easy to tell people to “enjoy the moment”. Like most great expressions, they are easy to say and hard to do. I was happy before, but I was also what James Altucher describes as a “time-traveler.” I was living more in the past and future than the present. The “Little Ones” have taught me to be 100% present when I am with them. If I am not, it is obvious, especially to “Little Two”. He is like a dog. He can smell it. When I am pre-occupied, he is pre-occupied. The best remedy to make sure he is not pre-occupied is for me not to be pre-occupied.

Simple.

Before I open the door to be with them I have to clear my mind. This has helped me to finish what I start during the day, so I can be 100% with them when I am home. They deserve it.

So do I.

2. The 24th hour makes the other 23 hours worth it.

Raising a child is hard work. There is no doubt about it. I had never held a baby prior to “Little Two”. Maybe I did once, but it cried. I will not make a list of the challenges I face each day, but that one moment when everything is perfect makes all the other challenges disappear.

Last night, “Little Two” did not want to go to bed and normally this is where “Little One” comes in to save the day. After a strong effort on her part, he still wanted to hang out. I took him into bed with me and played for a bit and after about 30 minutes he wiggled around and made himself comfortable with his head lying on my chest. The next hour I laid there and all was good in the world. In fact, it was more than good….it was perfect.

“Anything worth having is a challenge”.

“Little Two” has taught me the real meaning of this and he makes it easy to do, not just say.

3. Life changes. Do you?:

Luckily for “Little One” and me, “Little Two” is not a whiner. Generally when he cries he needs something. The little man has a hard time sleeping.

I like to think it is because he is so happy during the day that he just wants to hang out with us all the time…..that might not be the case, but I like to tell myself this.

A couple times a week I have to wake up in the middle of the night to be with him. I never thought that I would have the capacity to enjoy this time as much as I do. I attribute this to convincing myself that this time with him (even if it is at 2am) is the most fun I will have during the day. He will never fall asleep if I am thinking about how little sleep I am getting. I have to make it my “happy time” or else that night and the next day will be disasters.

Is there a better excuse for being tired the next day than spending too much time with your kid? Having a child changes your life. No doubt about it. You have to change with it. It is easy to complain if everyone else around you is complaining. My dad tried to teach me that. “Little Two” succeeded.

Look for the good in everything, even at 4am.

4. It is OK to play second fiddle:

“Little Two” needs “Little One” more than me right now. I am OK with that. My time will come and thanks to “Little One´s” example I will be ready.

If there was anyone who I would want “Little Two” to be with most of the day there is no doubt that “Little One” is the best person. She is a natural mother and she is doing an awesome job of keeping “Little Two” smiling. I am happy to come off of the bench when necessary and the only way we can survive as a family is to know our role and embrace it.

I truly want him to say “Mama” first and I think my wife wants him to say “Papa” or “Dada” first.

I think this is a good thing.

5. What goes up must come down:
Life has its ups and downs. Especially baby life. “Little Two” is confused. Life is confusing. One minute he’s crying hysterically and the next moment he is laughing his little head off.

What he’s taught me is that just because you are crying one minute doesn’t mean you can’t laugh the next.

How you deal with the negative things in life has a great impact on your ability to see the good. Take each moment as it comes and laugh when a laugh is needed.

6. Open your eyes its a beautiful world:

My favorite time with “Little Two” is the second he opens his big curious eyes and takes in the world. It´s as if he is seeing it for the first time. I hope he never looses his curiosity for the world and the people in it.

“Curiosity” is a great word. I think it is my favorite. Curiosity lasts. It has no age. “Little One” is curious. It is my favorite thing about her. It is now my favorite thing about “Little Two”.

Look up from time to time. Notice the people next to you. They make up the world you live in.They may have written your favorite song, made your mom smile when she needed it or taught your kid a valuable lesson. Do not forget that.

Be curious…..about everything…..and everyone.

It´s a beautiful world. Don’t miss it.

7. Know When To Hold Em´ and Know When to Fold Em´ (Thanks Kenny):

Being with people you love and respect is obviously important. However, how you spend your time away from your loved ones might be of equal or greater importance. It took me a long time to learn that. “Little One” tried to teach me that. It was not until “Little Two” arrived that it completely sunk in. I have a feeling that this will not be the last time that they gang up on me.

My goal in life is to come home everyday with a smile on my face so I can be the best I can be when I am with “The Little Ones. I cannot achieve this if I am saying “yes” to everything just to please other people (outside of my house of course) “The Little One´s” come first and if I have the feeling that a new opportunity will distract me from coming home smiling I have to say “no”.

Follow your gut. Identify what makes you happy. Stick to it. Listen to yourself. Listen to your “good feelings” and your “bad feelings”. Most times that you do something you wanted to say “no” to initially it ends badly…at least for me.

I should have listened to “Little One” more. She knows my gut.

This has actually made my work better and far more rewarding. I only work with clients I truly enjoy being around on projects I have “good feelings” about. This has made coming home with a smile on my face a whole lot easier. Say “no” and often. “Little Two” has accelerated this learning curve for me.

I can´t wait for Tim Ferriss to have a kid so he can begin to write life hacks for parents.

8. Making a fool of yourself is really not making a fool of yourself:

This is the one to grow on for good reason. It is the most important. All the others rely on this.

My wife smiles from ear to ear when I am making stupid faces, singing made-up songs and acting like a child to make “Little Two” laugh.

I have been scared of looking stupid most of my life….this is stupid..

It is OK to act stupid from time to time. It is OK to live in the moment. It is OK to change if a change is needed. It is OK to do ridiculous things if you have a “good feeling”. It is OK to act like a child. It is OK to smile and laugh out loud. You might just realize that the people around you start smiling also. Worrying about what people think will only make you worry more. I am so thrilled that I now have two teachers to look up to in my own house.

There are no “big things” without “little things”. The best lessons can come in the smallest of packages. Pay attention to the “Little Ones”.

Michael Thompson / CORPORE Wear / Brand Manager