The Best Piece of Advice I Ever Gave
Last week I was on vacation with my wife, Jill, and youngest son, Shane. I LOVE boats and being on the water. I grew up on boats and we currently keep a boat down on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s a magical place; peaceful, quiet, visually stunning, and full of history. The marina where we keep our boat is called Haven Harbor Marina in Rock Hall, Maryland which is near Chestertown, Maryland. The first chartered college founded in the United States (1782) is Washington College is located in Chestertown.
We took a trip on the boat heading south down the Chesapeake Bay to Virginia to a marina and resort called The Tides Inn, a beautiful old resort that sits on the Rappahannock River. Its mature trees, beautiful gardens, and landscaping along with beautiful views of the river are enough to re-charge your battery while on vacation. I love sitting up on top of the boat while having a cup of coffee in the morning and watching the sunrise. Needless to say, it was a fantastic vacation!
While we were at The Tides Resort, Shane and I played a few rounds of golf. Shane is crazy about golf and it was the only way that I could convince him to come on the trip with us. I bribed him with the fact that we were going to a marina resort that had a great golf course. While we were in the shuttle one morning on the way to the golf course, I got to talking to this young man who had a nine-month-old son at home, his first child. I told him that I have 2 boys myself and he asked me if I had any advice on being a dad. Having raised two sons who are now 26 and 22, I gave him the best piece of advice that I've learned raising my boys.
“Guard their environment of friends and the people they hang out with as they get older.”
I thought about it after I spoke with him and realized this not only applies to your children, it applies to ALL of us.
Surround yourself with winners and you’ll become one; surround yourself with losers, you’ll become one of those as well. Surround yourself with fear-based people, you’ll become fear-based. Surround yourself with faith-based people, you got it. Surround yourself with people who do drugs, you’ll start doing drugs eventually. Surround yourself with healthy people who like to eat well and work out, you’ll probably start to get healthy and lose some weight yourself. Surround yourself with people that like to read, you may pick up a book and start reading.
The people you spend your time with will be the biggest influence on your life and its outcome. By the way, that’s why your spouse will be the most important decision you make, and your parents will be the biggest decision you DON’T make because they will be THE BIGGEST influence on your life.
Enjoy this picture of a sunrise I captured on vacation.
Best Regards,
Dr. Dane
Dr. Dane Donohue is a Chiropractor in Newtown PA and has been serving his community for over 25 years. Wellness Solution Centers provides all the services you need for a healthy life.