Today is Father’s Day and it is the day we pay tribute to our Father’s and Grandfather’s and the men who have impacted our lives for the better. I thought a great way to pay tribute to my own Father is to share some of the things my Father has taught me:
*Integrity matters most. Always live your life with honesty staying true to your values and beliefs. I can honestly say that I have never seen my Father tell a lie of any kind. Talk about a powerful example to set for your child.
*Always do the right thing, even when it’s hard. My Father never flinched at doing the right thing, even when it means the result will be difficult. He has always been willing to do what’s right no matter what the situation or circumstances are.
*Work hard and do the work well. If you are going to do something then give it 100%. My Father never does anything without putting his entire effort into it.
*Your word is your bond. If you say you will do something then follow through. Be someone people can’t count on to do what they commit to. If my Father says he will do something you can rest assured he will. I have never known him to drop the ball on anything.
*Be on time. My Father always set the example of being on time. He considers it a matter of integrity to be on time. This is one I have struggled with my entire life as I always seem to be running ten minutes late…but it is because of his example I continue to try and improve on this one.
*Be productive. My Father starts every day with a task list of items to get done and he stays completely focused until he finishes the task on hand. He makes the most of his time every day. You will never find my Father wasting time when there is work to be done.
*Be Goal-oriented. My Father has always set goals and then worked hard to achieve them. He taught me to set goals at a very young age when he would hold Daddy Daughter interviews with us and he would ask us to tell him our goals and then he would meet with us monthly to see if we were achieving what we set out to achieve. This has served me well my entire life.
*Believe in yourself. When things get tough in my life I know if I call my Father he will tell me that I can handle it. He forces me to believe in myself because he believes in me and tells me I am capable. There is something incredibly powerful about a Father who tells his child he believes in them and they can do it. The impact of this one thing alone is probably one of the most impactful things to any child’s self-confidence. I never felt like things were out of my ability to achieve if I truly wanted them and was willing to work for them and that attitude comes from my Father’s constant encouragement telling me I could do it.
When I really stop and think about all the life lessons my Father has taught me (as well as my Mother) I really feel the impact a parent can have in a child’s life. The impact of a parent’s words are one thing but the impact of their example is life changing. I hope that I can always strive to have the same impact in the lives of my own children. Thank you to Father’s and Mother’s who make the effort to teach us all. What a tremendous blessing you are!
Have a great day everyone! It’s going to be a fantastic week!
~Amy
