In 2013, I was riding high on a book and TV deal and took a trip back to Los Angeles (where I’d previously lived for 13 years) to do some work with my friends at Kids in the House. I stayed with my friend, Mike and his wife Hannah, in Culver City. Mike and I had been friends for many years, an initial attraction was that we were both from Philadelphia.

We reunited and talked into the early hours of the morning – the best part about our friendship is that we don’t cut corners, we don’t bullshit each other or sugar coat the truth. He and his twin brother, Tim, supported me (as I supported them) through some of my darkest hours as I dealt with binge drinking and depression, and we rode on each others’ shoulders through some of the best years of our early careers, working in entertainment in a city where one day you could be king of the world and the next sleeping in the street.

The night that I stayed at his house, I read Mike and his wife chapters from my book before it was published – he told me that he loved my blog, how real it was, how raw and visceral. However, there was a BUT.

I hung my head and braced for the worst – I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was my writing horrible? Possibly. Did he hate the header picture of me and my kids on the blog? He couldn’t! Was my recipe section not up to snuff?

It was none of that – at least not what he revealed.

What was the problem?

Mike told me that for years they’ve all been privy to 99% of my life online, and the only thing holding me back, the one thing that he wanted to hear or read about, was the 1% that I wasn’t giving up.

He gave me his honest opinion about what he thought people admired about my blog – my honesty. And somehow, between the book, producing ‘Modern Dads’ for A&E and taking on an excess of sponsored posts and maintaining a household as the primary caregiver with three kids under the age of six – this apple has fallen off the tree, tumbled down a hill, made it’s way into someone’s hands and am so far from where I started when this blog was first created.

I think it’s normal. We get caught up in the tornado of life. I respect his thoughts, but sometimes it isn’t easy to put that 1% on a platter for everyone to criticize, perhaps that’s the one thing that I keep for me, it keeps me sane.

With my 40th birthday come and gone, I sit here having a tsunami of thoughts, emotions and revelations, as you probably witnessed in my earlier post about kissing my wife in front of the kids.

They say that 40 is the new 30 and guess what? I’ll take it. But that landmark birthday hasn’t been dismissed as unimportant.

It’s inspired me to think about everything – my interactions with other people, kindness, charity towards others, mortality and without a doubt, my health.

In my 20’s and early 30’s, I ran wild. I treated my body and mind like I had nothing to lose. I didn’t have a wife or kids and yes, of course, my parents, brothers and family would be devastated if something happened to me, but I felt invincible.

Things Have Changed

I’ve taken out the tongue ring that I got in Mexico. I’ll no longer consider bungee jumping or diving out of an airplane. I’m a man of calculated risks, because it’s important to me and my family that I’m around. Have I eradicated sodium and gluten from my diet? No, I’m still rolling the dice on that…

I stopped putting my head through drywall and jumping off the roof into kiddie pools. I’m going to the dentist, I’m having my blood pressure checked, I’m exercising and watching what I put in my body. I’m considering a prostate exam but don’t hold your breath – that sucker you can log under my 1%

It’s time for me to take care of myself. Self-care is IMPORTANT.

I’m not doing this for one specific person, I’m doing it for everyone.

So far, I’ve lost 25 pounds, am sleeping better and feeling like I’m 20 again.

Life is short and that’s a fact. I’ve had too many friends die because they didn’t take care of themselves.

Don’t neglect your own health. Put on sunscreen. Take a walk and elevate your heart rate. Go and sweat for a minute. If you have muscle aches, back pain, headaches, etc., see someone or check out Know Your OTC’s and do some research on how to get yourself better. You are important. People care about you. Your spouse and kids care about you.

Take a deep breath and SMILE – the world is better with you here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was a sponsored post on behalf of KYOTC‘s, however the thoughts and opinions remain my own.