I am uncool enough to admit that my dad is one of my best friends. He is my life coach, my go to problem solver, my career counselor, and my general compass. Throughout my life, he has taught me so many things that have since shaped into who I am now. Here some of the most important things I learned from my pop:
1) Family comes first: my dad gave up a lucrative career in order to move countries for my mom. He did it for her happiness and for the well being of our family even though it meant giving up something he worked hard for and starting over new. Jobs will come and go; careers will take lots of changes. Family should always take priority.
2) Be positive: we aren't a very religious household, but there was one book that I was required to read and it was Peale's
Power of Positive Thinking. One of my dad's favorite dad-isms is "be positive, please!" There was no spiraling into woe-be-me attitude with him. He was tolerant about a lot of things but one thing he never had any patience for is negative-nancies. My Pollyanna-esque tendencies definitely come from that. Even when life kicks you in the stomach, my dad taught me to figure out to how take the hit and come out of it smiling.
3) Money shouldn't make decisions: I never heard him say, "we can't afford that", for any request. He taught me the value of hard work but he also taught me that wealth shouldn't make the big decisions in life. Go to the college you want to go to, study the subjects you are passionate about, and love the people you want to love. Money can be earned and figured out, so that should never be the reason to do or not do something. I was also lucky enough to have parents who could provide in a fashion that made it so that money wasn't an issue. For that, I am forever thankful.
4) Be ambitious: as a woman who is well aware of the glass ceiling in the workplaces and is from a culture that discourages ambition in the female gender, this one was a big one for me. While I had distant family whose dads saw their daughters as just someone to marry off, I was fortunate enough to have a dad who never saw my gender as a disadvantage. My dad always told me that in whatever field I chose, I should be able to confidently say I am in the top 25% of my cohort. It meant if I am a teacher, I would be one of the best teachers at that school. He instilled in me an ambition and a passion to work hard in order to become the creme de la creme. Good or bad - this has become the reason I go the extra mile, why I wake up early and work late. I want to work hard for my dreams and I know my dad will always be there cheering on my every accomplishment and supporting me in every failure.
5) Brush your teeth: my dad only yelled at me once in my childhood and that was when for some reason, I decided dental hygiene was not for me. I think I was five or six at the time and HATED the idea of brushing my teeth. I would put the brush in my mouth, make a face, and then throw a tantrum about not wanting to do it. This went on for two days before he lost it and I got a good talking to. Since I had never seen him angry in my entire little life, this definitely made an impression. To this day, I can't go to sleep without brushing my teeth because I think my dad will somehow know and I would be punished. Even if he's a continent away, I make sure I brush my teeth twice a day for him.
Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful dads and dad figures out there.
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