I love asking questions.

Not in every environment, of course. There have been times I’ve sat in a classroom, lecture theatre or boardroom and been too embarrassed to stick my hand up. But in my personal life, there are no stupid questions.

Or more correctly, there are, and I like to ask them all.

Some of my favourite times have been spent with friends asking inane hypotheticals. A memorable example was a job picking tomato weeds as a teen. It was backbreaking labour, wandering up a never-ending field, hoe in hand. My friends drudging along in rows either side of me. Asking and stewing over pointless ponderings kept us sane.

I still love asking questions. These days my partner is on the receiving end. She politely indulges me, but I’m still waiting for her definitive list of three artists she would like to see live. Beyonce, Ariana Grande and… we may never know.

Recently, I decided to outsource my curiosity online asking the internet: what’s the best compliment you could be given?

The responses were telling.

Being told you’re a good parent. A good listener. You’re someone who’s always been there. And so on.

What struck me was how almost every answer centred on selflessness. Making an impact on others. It was heartening.

I wish I knew sooner that calling out someone’s effort meant this much. I’ve missed a lot of opportunities. So now, I’m vowing to get really specific and let people know I see and appreciate them.

As for me, the best compliment I could receive is that I’m someone who tries to bring people together.

What about you?

In other news, tomorrow is the offiical Australian release day of my book, which feels monumental.

Although I haven't fully processed, celebrated or taken the time to delight in that yet, it's slowly sinking in.

While the book focuses on my first 50 days of parenting, and hopefully helps dads feel seen and less alone, I thought the publishing experience itself might be of broader interest.

Conversations about the book began in February. Six months later, it's in bookstores. From what I've learned, that's unusually quick in publishing, and completely unthinkable in film.

Having experienced both, there weren't many similarities. There was far more creative freedom with this project, and the manuscript passed through fewer hands. Apart from an editor, copyeditor and audiobook recording, there were very few creative conversations about the work itself.

I loved that.

But it also means I'm nervous about the reception.

When my film was made, casting, locations, script changes and editing gradually created some distance between me and the finished product. When reviews were disappointing, there was a small buffer.

This book doesn't have that.

These are my words, and although written in the middle of a huge life-changing event and often through significant sleep deprivation - no one really meddled with them. As a result, I feel far more invested in how they're received.

More than anything, I hope the book resonates with new and expecting dads, and offers older parents a reminder of those strange, difficult and wonderful early days.

If you've ordered a copy, I'd love to hear from you. And if you haven't yet, you can grab one from Booktopia now for $22.49 using the code “BECOMINGDAD10”.

Thanks for being here.

NpG.

Want to tell me your favourite compliment, that you’ve ordered my book, or something else altogether, you can do so at [email protected]