Motivation, Rationale for Starting This Site: “Do you even blog, bro?”

Why am I starting a lifestyle blog about lifting weights as a busy professional dad and why should you care?  A few primary reasons:

• Like to write and want to always exercise that writing muscle
• Have accumulated useful knowledge others might be interested in
• Want to connect with others and maybe make some friends

Virtual Dad-vice

My dad died when I was in my late 20s, a little over 10 years ago at this point.  He was the most fun person to spend a day with I’ve ever met (I’m clearly biased), and we had many great adventures together. 

My dad was a pilot, a very handy mechanic and an amazing salesman.  He was just chock full of street smarts: definitely the guy you’d want as your wingman when you roll up to a car dealership to haggle.  He taught me how to shoot guns, showed me how to “operate” in Las Vegas and Atlantic City (get comp meals and rooms, not get your wallet stolen, etc.).  If he were around today, he’d be a massive help with do-it-yourself projects around the house, maintaining the lawnmower, etc. 

But…he was also kind of a screw up professionally and financially. 

So, even if he were still around today, it would be hard for him to provide much guidance in the way of major career or life decisions.  I’m sure it’s similar for many second-generation Americans who have outpaced the success of their parents.  Their foreign born and raised parents aren’t much help when it comes to navigating the public middle school or career track.  I know this because my wife was born and lived in Eastern Europe until she was 18 years old and her mother passed away roughly 5 years ago.

So, as we go forward and try to manage our professional, financial and family, we lack a ton of guidance.  This isn’t meant to be knock on my stepfather or mother, both of which are alive and well in the Texas Hill Country.  But they are thousands of miles removed from my daily life. 

The point of that lengthy prologue: With this website and social media channel, I hope to develop a virtual version of that figure for myself and others, at least for stuff that I have developed wisdom on over the years:

• Fitness
• Nutrition
• Fatherhood
• Maybe some personal finance or other random stuff

Expand my Community

Beyond sharing my “wisdom”, I do hope that by creating things and putting myself out there, like minded folks will find me, which will help me expand my personal network.  These days, I have found it hard to make new friends, especially as a transplant into the Philadelphia suburbs where people seem to have lived their whole lives and have big networks of family and friends.  Everyone has their own stuff going on, their own interests, or are just assholes who don’t see social value in a friendship with someone who doesn’t care about climbing any particular social ladder. 

Through my financial blog and twitter account at mlpguy.com, I have made new friends who I am closer with that anyone in the community of people I see every day or live in close proximity to.  Maybe by doing this, I can find a whole new community of Dads who deadlift.

Stay Tuned

Excited to share my wisdom with everyone and see where it goes.  Please let me know how you think I’m doing with comments or emails.  Please share and subscribe anything you like with your friends around the Internet.