My dad is a simple man but he has taught me important lessons that I choose to live by. He has worked hard his entire life to provide for me and to set an example for me to follow. I look up to him and hope to be like him when I grow up. These are some of the lessons that my dad has taught me.
1. "If you're gonna do the job, do it right."
My dad never does anything half-assed. If he's going to do it, he's going to make it as perfect as possible. It is a good habit to try to always put your all into everything you do, and I learned this from how hard I have watched him work throughout my lifetime.
2. "Get yourself someone who does the laundry."
Dad insists that you shouldn't marry someone who won't do domestic duties around the house. He tells me this every time he folds the laundry.
3. "Actions speak louder than words."
Don’t trust people’s word if nothing backs it up. The words aren’t what really matter – it’s the person’s actions that you should pay attention to.
4. "Even when you are alone, you should never be lonely."
Whenever I have told my dad that I feel lonely, he tells me I shouldn’t be lonely, even when I’m alone. Find something to do on your own. Don’t cry in your soup about it.
5. "Every time you go out on the field, leave everything you've got."
My dad was always a star athlete. In high school, he still holds records. Every time I talk to people from his home town, they tell me how great he was on the football field. He tells me that every time I go out on the field, I should leave everything I have out there. As long as I do that, I should be satisfied no matter what the outcome of the game is.
6. "Watch it!"
Always be watching out. Dad tells me to “watch it!” every time I leave the house, which pretty much means don’t do anything stupid and be careful.
7. "Don't keep sticking your hand down the snake hole."
When you do something and the outcome is bad, why would you do it again? When you keep sticking your hand down the same snake hole and you keep getting bit, stop sticking your hand down there.
8. "You can get good at anything if you practice for an hour a day."
If you want to get good at something, just go out and practice it for an hour a day. Dedicate a little bit of your time every day and you can learn.
9. "There will be times in life where it sucks and you just have to deal with it."
Sometimes life sucks. That’s just it – instead of sitting around and crying about it, just deal with it. It will pass and things will get better.
10. "Finish strong!"
At the end of every semester, my dad tells me to “finish strong.” The last stretch of everything you do is the most important part. In school, he urges me to keep pushing through until the end. Don’t let it slide right at the end. My dad always made sure to do this, and he has trophies to prove it.
11. "As long as you give it your all, there's nothing to be disappointed about."
It doesn’t matter if you get a B in a class you tried hard in. As long as you felt like you gave it all you had, there is nothing to be disappointed about.
12. "Bite your tongue and count to 10 before you say something you'll regret."
It’s not worth it to say things that hurt someone else’s feelings if it’s not absolutely necessary to say them. When someone says something to make you mad, bite your tongue and think about your response before you just blurt it out. Chances are, you’ll change your mind after the 10 seconds. Don’t hurt other people’s feelings for no good reason. You don’t always need the last word.
13. "It's not yourself you have to watch out for; it's the other guy."
Specifically while driving, my dad makes sure to always remind me that it’s the other guy I have to watch out for. People are stupid sometimes and they aren’t always paying attention. Don’t just watch your own behaviors – watch to see what’s going on around you as well.
14. "Relaxing every once in awhile isn't a bad thing."
My dad works very hard but he also enjoys the days when he gets to sit back and relax. When I come home for the summer and complain about having nothing to do, he reminds me that taking time to relax every once in awhile isn’t a bad thing.
15. "Don't stray too far from the middle if you want to stay out of trouble."
Getting your opinion out there doesn’t do a whole lot of good most of the time. When you are talking to someone else, don’t always share your most extreme opinion on an issue. A lot of times, you will only get yourself into an unnecessary argument. Even if you have a pretty strong opinion about something, staying neutral usually keeps you out of trouble.
16. "Sometimes you have to suck it up for the people you love."
This one’s pretty simple. Just suck it up every once in awhile for the ones you love. They matter, and if something makes them happy, do it even if you don’t like it.
17. "Stay away from the noise."
People like to cause trouble. They like to talk about things just to get people fired up. A lot of the times, your opinion is just going to add to that and make it worse. Stay away from the unnecessary arguing and worrying about superficial things. It’s all noise and doesn’t benefit your life.
18. "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."
This is one of my favorite lessons because it always reminds me to stay calm in times of stress. It means that a lot of the times when you try to rush, you don't end up accomplishing things any quicker.
19. "Family is so important."
Family is one of the most important things in life because they make you who you are. My dad has always made sure I know this.
20. "You should be grateful for what you have."
You should always recognize what you have in life and be thankful. There are so many people out there that aren’t lucky enough to have a roof over their head. Never fail to realize the great things you have and the opportunities you have been given. Most importantly, never take for granted the most important people in your life.
These are just some of the lessons I have learned from my dad. I am confident that as the years go on, I will gain more of my dad's wisdom. My dad is a simple man who has proved a lot in his lifetime and continues to do so. He has made me realize my potential and helped me grow into the person I want to be. I am beyond proud to be able to call him "dad."
