Welcome to this episode of Friday Reflections by Dad.Work!Every Friday I share the best of what we have been doing in the Dad.Work community, to provide perspective, new ideas, and motivation for you to continue on your journey to becoming the best man, partner, and father you can be.Over the last couple of years, I've been wallowing in birthday pity parties and shame spirals, especially when my birthday was approaching. On one hand, I wanted to be seen and celebrated, but on the other hand, I was critical of myself for wanting this. Last Sunday was my birthday and I decided to invite family and friends over to help me celebrate. I remeber the night prior to my birthday feeling disgusted for taking up space and "forcing" people to come celebrate my birthday but in the end, thanks to the men in my men's group, my wife, kids, and family, my birthday was a awesome! If you have all these questions like, "What if no one came? And what if it didn't work out? Or what if people were like, oh, you know what, I actually don't really like you all that much..."Then this episode is for you!We'll talk about:Why it's important to do mindfulness work and then return to introspection.Guiding yourself into a more loving compassionate relationship with yourself instead of always condemning yourselfAcknowledging your pity and shame and try to figure out why your're feeling that wayAllowing oneself to experience and express all of your emotions rather than erecting a barrier out of fear of being harmedLearning to take up space because you, as well as everyone else in your life, are significant.Mentioned on this episode:#48. Building Relationships and Finding Friends as a Dad - FRIDAY REFLECTIONSJoin the waitlist for the next 8-week Dad.Work Men's Group for Fathers: https://dad.work/mens-group/---Welcome to the Dad.Work Podcast!It's my goal every episode to help dads suffer less, love more, and parent confidently.We'll be diving into mindfulness practices, healing trauma, conscious parenting, natural living, compassionate communication, the spiritual aspect of fatherhood, and more.There are a lot of amazing teachers and guides who help men become more aware and conscious, but there's not a lot of resources for men who are both fathers and interested in a mindful exploration of consciousness and improvement.This podcast aims to help bridge that gap.Resources, Links, Show Notes:https://dad.work/pod/Get our Free 14-Day Better Man, Better Dad Email Series:https://dad.work/email/Join one of our Men’s Groups for Dads and be seen, heard, supported, and challenged by a group of other fathers who have your back unconditionally:https://dad.work/group