Yesterday morning with @Jared Johnson and @Jared Fenn we went over the Safety topic and had some really good discussions on the topic. I see safety at this point in my life so much different than I have before. In going through the questions in the lesson and answering them, I saw many ways where I did not feel safe as a child and an adult. I saw many ways I have shown up in the life's of people that matter to me that I did not provide safety. It is so easy to look at safety as a physical need only when I hear that word, but it is more relatable in my life daily in the form of emotions safety. I know I have invalidated my wife in many ways with her safety due to my lack of emotional understanding. In reading through the material, it helped me better understand all the ways this shows up and changes my perspective on the meaning and my intention to see that differently now and show up with better understanding. One thing that hits me hard is Deficit, one major reason in my intention in joining this tribe is finding a sense of belonging. Much of my life I have saw a strength in a lone wolf mentality as a man, but I am quickly learning that this is a limited mindset and there is so much wholeness found in connection and strength in groups and the support that can come from that.

Spent about an hour this morning dialoguing with chatGPT to figure this out and better understand intentions and applying ManOS to my most recent awareness. The awareness is this: I let other's actions and feelings measure my character so my response if often to defend myself and justify and try to explain why I did what I did. I know why I act. My family means everything and when someone accuses me of putting something else first I feel like they're questioning my love devotion, commitment and I get defensive. If I'm wrong or they don't think I'm as good as I want to be they won't want or love me. I realized that I have to find the right words to rewrite the "code". So chatgpy helps because it can help me get the words right. Here's where I landed: "I want to be a man who knows who he is and doesn’t feel the need to defend it." Know: Misunderstanding doesn't define my character. Do: Respond to feelings, not accusations. Be: A man who knows who he is and doesn't feel the need to defend it. Understand: Accusations often come from fear or hurt, not truth. I really loved the analogy it gave me: Think of a compass on a ship. Storms, waves, and wind will constantly push the ship around. But the captain doesn’t argue with the waves. He checks the compass. If the compass says he’s still on course, he stays steady. If it says he drifted, he corrects course. The waves don’t determine the direction. The compass does. Your character becomes that compass. Someone questioning you is just weather, not navigation. Intentions are my compass

My intention for today is to hug anyone that wants it, listen to anyone that needs it, and to just BE who I am. Everyone of you that is seeing this have a great day on purpose! Much Love! Drop your intention if you like, lets keep it going!

As I went through the questions and thought more about what being a man for me means, more than anything I am realizing how distorted the world would define these questions as compared to what my heart feels. I feel a man is rooted in peace, love and strength for both our families and communities whereas the world would make many men believe their role is intended more as primarily a provider.

Met with @Jared Johnson and @Chance Lundgren and going thru things together and decided to start over. In going thru the questions the one "what does a man do for himself" I answered "everything" because I read that to mean vs what others do for me...no one does anything for me. In other words, it didn't even occur to me it was asking about my self care....that was revealing to me.