Things My Father Taught Me

I think it’s safe to say that many of us may have a different way of doing things from things we were taught by our fathers. As children, I imagine that the majority of us scoffed at some of the things our fathers attempted to teach us. As a child, I had some of these thoughts and, at times, I even thought I was smarter than my father about some things. But, as I grew older, it was quite interesting how much wiser my father became!

Here is a list of wise teachings that have been beneficial to me over the years:

“Always tell the truth. Lying is hard to keep up with and it’s just plain wrong. To tell the truth, you don’t need a good memory.”
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”
“With hard work and perseverance, you can do anything you put your mind to.”
“If you want to be a success, procrastination is suicide.”
“When you do something, always do your best.”
“Say what you mean and mean what you say!”
“What you do is a reflection of who you are.”
“Don’t talk about doing something - JUST DO IT!”
“While it’s nice to be important, it’s more important to be nice.”
“Look after the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.”
“Be grateful for your blessings.”
“Put things back where you found them. Then you can find them again easily and the next person that needs them knows where they are! And, always return them in the same condition or better than you found them.”
“Look people in the eye when you speak.”
“Always shake someone’s hand with a firm handshake.”
“A sharpened saw cuts much better, so take the time to sharpen it.”
“You can always do more than you first think you can!”
“Be on time.”
“Save a portion of the money you make so you’ll always have some for a rainy day.”
“Sharing what you have is a good thing.”
“There’s a reason the Good Lord gave us two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and only one mouth!”