A wise man keeps learning his entire life.
Lessons I Learned From My Father
Sometimes, the most important life lessons you learn take a while to understand
The older I get in life, the more and more I appreciate the little things my father taught me, or better yet, instilled upon me, as I was growing up. At first I may not have understood these lessons, but they sure have made an impact on my life.
So, in no particular order, I’ll tell you a few of these life’s lessons
Always Acknowledge People When Walking In A Room.
This is one of the most overlooked simple gestures anyone can do. My dad always told me, especially in the morning, always say good morning to everyone around. Start with a nice pleasantry addressing people and do it with a smile.
He even took it one step further. Any time you walk into someone’s house or place of business, ALWAYS address the home owner or business owner (if they are there). After all, they are opening up their home or business and allowing you to walk in, at least give a pleasant hello.
I mentioned this to a group of high school kids once and one of them said, “what if you don’t like the person? Should you still say hello to them?” At first I thought how dumb of a question was that, but then I thought maybe they didn’t have the same teachings as I did when I was their age.
So I explained to them that it doesn’t matter whether you liked the person or not, that person opened their door to you and allowed you to come to their home or establishment. The LEAST you could do would be to acknowledge them with a “good morning” or a “hello”. I also told them, if you can’t bring yourself to do that, then you really should question why you went there to begin with.
When You Shake Someone’s Hand, That’s Your Word and Your Bond.
My dad did several side projects while I was growing up, and I got to help with a lot of them. I don’t ever recall him using a paper contract, always a handshake and a smile. And, not once did anyone ever complain. If they did, I would know it because we lived in a small town and everyone know everyone else business!
It’s funny now that I think about it, at least for me, how basic and pure this handshake and word thing is. The more I’m around people, the more and more I see people who go back on their word. It happens more often than I would have ever thought, by people who I would have never have guessed would do it. They said they would do XYZ and gave their word on it, but when it was time for XYZ, they disappeared and never returned messages.
As many of you reading this may know, I’m in the internet marketing business. You would be surprised if I would tell you some of the names of the big players in that field who break their word.
This was something my dad warned me about, but I didn’t listen. The only thing I can say is I can sleep well at night knowing I’ve never did that to anyone.
What about you? Can you say it as well?
Avoid Having Debt.
Boy, this one really hits home the older I get. I used to be in the mortgage business, so I was always getting people to borrow, borrow, borrow. It wasn’t about how much the home cost, it was about how much monthly payment the client could afford. The same goes for cars and credit cards.
My dad always told me if you can’t buy it with cash, you don’t need it. There’s something about being debt free and not owing anyone anything. I’m one of the few people who can say they have never had a car payment, and I’m proud to say that!
Dad wasn’t one to buy “toys” just to have them. If he wanted or needed something, he would do without until he had the money to get it….period!
I just shake my head sometimes when I see grown adults, who’ve been in the work force for a LONG time, still make payments on their 3 vehicles and other toys they may have. I’m sure I’ll get blasted for this, but if you have to make payments to have fun, you’re doing it wrong!
ABottle of Whiskey Goes Further Than a $20 Bill.
I know, some people will say, “not a chance! give me that $20 all day long!” Which is fine, if that’s what they want. But there’s much more to it than just the $20.
I guess, however, as time goes on, $20 doesn’t go as far as it used to. Also, a bottle of whiskey costs more now as well. Maybe you could replace the $20 with $50!
Whatever it may be, think about it for a minute. If you give someone something they can enjoy for a long time, wouldn’t that be more gratifying than giving them something they put in their pocket and maybe forget they even had it?
People fight and have arguments over money. BUT, most of the time, with a bottle of whiskey (or wine), most people break bread with each other. They sit down and chit chat for a while. Which would you prefer to do?
Of course there are more and more lessons my dad taught me, but these are just a few I wanted to write about. Hopefully, they may be able to help you in the future as well.
