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Kevin Allen was a pretty committed father before he did the ‘Good to Great’ Fathering Course. When he completed the course in 2019, he went through a supercharging process in his fathering.

I can remember talking with Kevin shortly after he finished the course. He told me at the time that his business bottom line had improved markedly. More importantly, his relationships with his three young children had changed completely for the better.

Kevin also told me that his marriage needed more work. True to his word, within 18 months his marriage had turned around for the better as well. Watch the Dads4Kids video podcast below.

Within 12 months of completing the Good to Great Fathering Course, Kevin took his daughter on a father-child campout. This is what she had to say to her dad afterwards:

“Dad, you are the best person I’ve met in my life. Thank you for one of the best experiences of my entire life. I love how you always encourage and support me. I’m so sorry if I’ve ever said anything to you that has made you feel bad. Sometimes I just don’t know what I’m saying, and I really wish you would understand it, which you probably do because you’re a psychologist (you probably just don’t know it yet). I’ll love to do anything with you again!!
I hope there’s always going to be something we can do together. I also love how much effort you put into trying to be a better dad. You’ll always be the best person in my life but as well as mum. Night xx 😊🥺🦋💖”

Money cannot buy this sort of beautiful affirmation.

It took a lot of effort to create such change. Notice that his daughter’s reference to the fact that Kevin had done the course, but was still engaged in the journey of improving himself. “I also love how much effort you put into trying to be a better Dad!” Children notice these things and it makes all the difference.

When I asked Kevin in my interview what the key was to such massive change, he gave a very profound but simple answer:

“I changed from making decisions in my head to making decisions from my heart for my family.”

Interestingly, nowhere in the Good to Great Course are those words expressed verbatim.

Kevin continued,

You see Warwick, I had modelled myself when I was working as a store manager at Woolworths on the successful people above me who were making decisions with their heads. They were working ridiculous hours to get ahead. I was doing exactly the same thing and destroying my family in the process. I had changed occupations but had not changed my attitude.”

“The Good to Great Course helped me recalibrate my thinking and I started to make decisions from my heart or leading from the heart as I like to say. It changed my bottom line in business. It changed my relationship with my children, and it ultimately changed my marriage.”

“This recalibration of my decision-making led me to take my ten-year-old son on the Dacca Tour, in the Great Victorian Desert, outback Western Australia, in a custom-made dune buggy.  We had about a dozen guys on dirt bikes, so we came up behind while they went on ahead. As a father and son, we had the time of our lives. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

It gives me great joy as the cofounder of Dads4Kids to know that men are making quality, life-changing decisions from the heart. My wife and I are just catalysts for the process. The good news is that once it starts, it doesn’t stop.

It reminds me of a very old saying in the book of proverbs:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Lovework

Start dreaming about your family’s life. As you do, contemplate your direction and the decisions you must make. Follow Kevin’s example and make those decisions from your heart. I promise you: you will never look back.

Yours for Leading from the Heart,
Warwick Marsh

We can confirm that Gavin Topp, author of Man Alive, is coming to the Men’s Leadership Summit, 26-28 August 2022. Darren Lewis from Fathering Adventures is confirmed as well. SAVE THE DATE NOW! Full release this week!

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First published at Dads4Kids.