New Skills, Old Stories, and Shared Laughs: Weekly Wins for Dads

When is the last time you gifted yourself a new skill?

Rolling into this season change is a great time to do just that. So what will it be?

1️⃣ For Me (Improve Yourself)

🧠 Spend 1 Hour/Week Learning a New Skill
Break it down to 10 minutes or less a day—use a timer and stay committed.
✅ Pick something that excites you: juggling, coding, cooking, whistling with your fingers—whatever lights your spark.

Learning = leading by example. If you’re having trouble choosing something, here’s how I decide what “new thing” to give time and attention to:

1. Of all choices, which would check the most boxes of value such as usefulness, frequency of use, impact of use (potentially life-saving skills outweigh entertainment-only skills)?

2. Which of these in the top ranks will I be able to acquire the most amount of success the quickest so I will have a fast reward to really hook me?

This is how I chose to pursue Jiu Jitsu over the other interesting options: Learning to solve a Rubik’s cube, learning another language, learning guitar. Jiu Jitsu could save my life plus newbies can pickup BIG wins early in skill development as a reward.

2️⃣ For ‘We’ (Improve Your Relationship)

🤣 Do Something That Made You Both Laugh
Remember that one movie, inside joke, dance move, or ridiculous memory that made you both lose it?

Bring it back this week.

Laughter isn’t just joy—it’s glue. It bonds you through stress, distraction, and the demands of grown-up life.
Need help? Try going through the DM’s you’ve sent each other ages ago. You’re sure to find some gold in there that’s worth firing back up for some laughs.

3️⃣ For ‘WEEEEEEE!’ (Improve Your Relationship with the Kids)

📖 Tell Them a Story From Your Childhood
Not the polished version. The real, messy, hilarious, or heartwarming one.

Maybe it’s about that time you fell off a bike trying to impress someone.
Or how Grandma once cussed you out when you were 10 years old because you and your best friend were shooting her cows with slingshots for fun on the farm.

Kids love hearing about your life before them—it helps them feel more connected to you and gives them roots.

(Just be sure to share the moral of your cow-shot-slinging story and how you were very much in the wrong.)

This Week’s Dad Quote:

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.”

— Unknown

Keep showing up, Dad.
You’re their protector—not because you're perfect, but because you're present. ❤️

—

Anthony

Creator of the “Better Dad Bulletin”