New stuff

Came across these this morning, thought they'd make a nice addition: (And I can hear my Dad saying something like just about every one of these...)

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

So far, so good!!!

Thanks again to all for the help! This is some good stuff!!!

jimsflyshop said...

One thing I remember my father saying over and over was "Don't do anything half assed". He said it all the time about the way we would be mowing the lawn or cleaning out the garage. I was constantly hit with those same words. It always felt like direction from a drill instructor but it stuck in the back of my mind so that when I started on any task, I would always work at it as diligently and methodically as possible to achieve the best possible result because in the back of my mind, I hear that same phrase over and over. I don't know if this was passed down from his father for sure but he was a Sergeant Major and a Drill instructor during WWII.

March 31, 2008 12:51 PM

socialdsickboy said...

My father and I worked together for 18 years. Although I lost him this past May, I still manage to speak to him daily. His best advise to me was "Think before you speak or act, and if you REALLY have to think about something before you say or do it, you probably shouldn't say or do it !".

April 1, 2008 5:44 AM

Anonymous said...

As for advice, my mom and dad didn't get along at all. I will tell you, it is very painful to see your parents be nasty to each other. Don't make comments that reflect negatively on their mom. I think it is important to have them learn the value of being rewarded. If they do something good, they may be rewarded with money or food, etc. I think kids today lack a work ethic. My dad had chores that I had to do, which has helped me later in life. I think I have respect for earning something rather just having it given to me. And last, teach them to be open minded. It is amazing what kind of opportunities or people you will come across that you never expect. (From an anonymous friend!)

April 1, 2008 11:01 AM

Anonymous said...

I am a product of divorce, and I think I admire my mother to this day for the fact that she never said bad things about my father. and she had plenty reason to. I think that made a very big difference.
And she never let us use it as a crutch for anything. The only advice I can give is that as a kid, I had rules, discipline, and I didn't think I should get any special treatment because my parents didn't live together anymore. Even as a child, I understood what was right and what was wrong, and who loved me and who didn't. My mother didn't seem to have the guilt that so many divorced parents seem to carry, and kids know exactly how to work. I saw many of my friends do it with their divorced parents.
Kids are smart. They know what is real, and what is just talk. My grandfather was my father figure, and I learned alot just by watching him. and my father. I learned what NOT to do by the way my father lived, and what TO do from the way my mother and grandfather lived.

April 2, 2008 9:05 AM

John said...

Well, I don't know how helpful this will be for you but I have some words of advice. My father was not the best role model in the world. He was not the most involved in the world. I can't even remember any advice other than what Jim said there with "Don't do anythign half assed!" At the time I poo-pooed the words but I guess there was some wisdom there. When changing the brakes, don't take any short cuts. If you are going to play baseball, be the best you can be. That sort of stuff. One positive I remember about my dad was that he did know how to work. He could tear apart something and put it back together better than it ever was. I guess he was trying to instill in me the knowledge that I needed to do these things. My advice would be to instill in your kids the desire to want to do these things. Don't put them down. don't ridicule them. Make tasks fun. Make chores fun. Make learning fun. My dad meant well (I believe) he just really had a gruff way of going about things. He would have made a fine drill sergeant but he would have failed as a teacher in an elementary school or a boss at a company.
I have 2 children of my own and I shower them both with love. From the moment I get home from work until they go to bed I try to be involved in whatever it is they are doing. Whether it is Connor (3) practicing his letters, trying to color within the lines or even just playing with his trains I am down on the floor and a particpant, not a witness to what he is doing. Evan is younger, only 17 months old. I try to put a smile on his face and make him laugh. Simply pretending to chase him around the room; the glee that I here from him makes me believe I am doing something right.
I used to teach elementary school and something that I remember from my education was to "Always take advantage of teachable moments". These are times when your child is actively interested in a topic or has a question about something. I try to seize those opportunities. It may be explaining how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, why crayons are different colors, or how an airplane can fly. I educate them without them knowing that I am.
I teach my kids right from wrong and in a manner that they do not feel threatened. I don't make my kids cry in order to learn.
I inadvertently learned a lot from my father. I learned that there were better ways to do things than the way he did them. I always try to be the best that I can be; the best father, the best husband, the best role model. maybe that is what my dad meant by "Don't do it half assed John!"

April 2, 2008 12:11 PM

Anonymous said...

My husband Jake offers this advice from his father:

If you ain't practicing a good habit, you're practicing a bad habit. (He says this is actually paraphrasing Denny Crum, the former coach of U of L's basketball team)

And...

You gotta give yourself credit for the small things you do right.

Hope this helps!

April 4, 2008 6:21 AM

THANK YOU!!!!

Just a big "Thank you" to all that have been kind enough to stop by, offer their encouragement and most certainly to those that have shared some of their father's wisdom!

Please be sure to check the comments, as that's where the advice I receive will be posted for the time being.

Thanks again,

Christian