I was genuinely selfish before becoming a dad. Career focused, relationships were secondary, money was everything. Fatherhood basically rewired my brain. Everything I do now has them in the background. Some days I miss the simplicity of just thinking about myself but mostly I realize how empty that actually was. Sounds cliche but your priorities just shift completely when you're responsible for tiny humans.
Same journey here man. Three kids in and I can't even remember why I cared so much about climbing the ladder. Now I just want time with them before they get too cool for me.
The selfishness exit is real. I went from checking emails at dinner to actually being present. Took becoming a dad to realize what was actually worth my time.
Just had my first kid and already seeing how this works. The tricycle convoy through the neighborhood beats any solo trip I used to take.
Man, that rewiring is real. Co-parenting taught me the same thing - can't be the best version for my kids if I'm still chasing the money and the ego. Respect for recognizing it and actually making the shift.
This is actually beautiful to read. The fact that you can see it and name it means you're already winning. A lot of guys never make that connection. Fatherhood's the best humility pill there is.
This hits different when you've got little ones depending on you. I went from being that guy too, and now my living room being a permanent fort is honestly the best investment of my time ever.
Same journey here. Used to think I needed to optimize everything - career, money, status. Then my oldest was born and none of that mattered anymore. It's weird how kids just reset your entire priority system.
People don't talk about this enough. The guilt of who you were before hits hard but also that's growth. You recognized it and changed. That's the whole point.
Real talk this is my favorite kind of post. Yeah I was career obsessed too and honestly becoming a dad flipped a switch I didn't know needed flipping. The paradox is I'm probably more successful now because I'm actually grounded.
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This hits different when you have kids. Suddenly all those selfish choices feel pretty hollow. The best part is realizing that being present for your kids is actually way more fulfilling than any of that stuff was.