Rise & Shine.

Welcome to Man Morning - a weekly newsletter for married, growth-driven fathers who are committed to getting better.

Every week, I share actionable lessons, stories, and insights designed to light up your personal and professional growth.

As a husband, father, and professional - this is personal.

A quick reminder:

Don’t make a long term decision about a short term situation.

Today In 3 Minutes

• 🏃 How To Find Out

• 😱 Lessons From A Bad Tattoo

• ⛰️ Not By Accident

• 🌐 Smarter, Stronger & Healthier

• ⚡ Man Morning Reflection

🏃 How To Find Out

😱 Lessons From A Bad Tattoo

During my sophomore year of college, I got a tattoo.

When I arrived at the tattoo “studio” (which was actually someone’s living room), the tattoo artist pointed to a book.

“Pick any tattoo you want,” she said. “I can do every tattoo except dragons. Dragons hurt my wrist.”

In the book were images of leopards, tigers, lions, horses, dolphins, swords, lots of stuff with fire, various font types, and yes, dragons.

Something immediately told me that picking a random tattoo from a random photo album in a random tattoo parlor wasn’t a good idea.

Still, I was committed to getting a tattoo.

So, I made the decision to get my own name.

Yep, I decided to get “Antonio” tattooed on my left deltoid.

For the font style, I chose a tender cursive font.

When I showed the font to the tattoo artist, she raised an eyebrow.

“You sure you want that font?”

I nodded my head yes.

She went on to create one of my best worst mistakes.

Since getting that tattoo many years ago, here are just a few things that I’ve heard when my arm isn’t covered:

Is that just in case you forget your name?

Are you getting your social security number next?

What’s up with that font, bro?

By my late twenties, I had heard enough.

I decided to get rid of my tattoo.

So, I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist.

After a brief assessment (that included being asked why I got my own name tattooed on my arm), the dermatologist said he could remove the tattoo.

Even though this was good news, something didn’t feel right.

Still, I figured I might as well schedule an appointment to get my permanent name badge removed.

Then, something interesting happened.

Over the course of the next few days, I changed my mind.

I realized that – even though my tattoo was the butt of far too many jokes – it was my tattoo.

Part of my story.

My journey in life.

So, I decided to keep it.

I came to accept that I’m a grown man with my first name etched on my left deltoid.

I also came to embrace, and no longer regret, the decision to get the tattoo in the first place.

Sometimes the things we are most ashamed of are actually the stories we need to embrace most.

Even more, the things that we think make us fragile, weak, and vulnerable can also be the things that have helped us develop grit, resilience, and character.

With the right perspective, these can be the experiences that actually give us strength.

Does my bad tattoo give me strength?

No.

But it does remind me that I have lived.

That I made a choice.

That I’ve made decisions, good and bad.

I’ve learned and rebounded from all of them.

All of the decisions we’ve made in our life up to this point play a similar role.

We may not love them.

Maybe we even regret them.

But every single one has a story to tell and a lesson to teach.

It’s important to remember that we’re not here to judge ourselves or question our past decisions.

Instead, we’re here to get curious.

We’re here to wonder.

We’re here to take full accountability and responsibility for our lives and decisions.

What part of your story or journey in life do you need to accept?

Maybe it’s a bad tattoo, like mine.

A relationship that came to an end.

A job, or jobs, that didn’t end up as you hoped.

A business that failed.

Something your parents did (or didn’t do).

An investment you made that went awry.

The options are endless.

It’s only once we accept where we are that we can begin to make progress.

Doing this sure as hell isn’t easy.

If everyone were willing to do it, we wouldn’t recognize life on this planet.

Again:

What’s the thing that if you said it out loud to someone, you’d be afraid of or embarrassed by their reaction?

Whatever it is, I ask you to start to own it.

To forgive what needs to be forgiven, whether it’s forgiving yourself or others.

When you have the courage to do this, it frees up the necessary space you need to live a better story.

⛰️ Not By Accident

🌐 Smarter, Stronger & Wiser

🧬 Men's Decreasing Testosterone & How It Lowers Lifespan (Watch or Listen)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Your Family Wants This

🎧 Listen If You Feel Pressure To Be Everything & To Be Everywhere

📚 Unbroken Optimist

💻 10 Years Ago

⚡ Man Morning Reflection

Even on cloudy days the sun is still shining.