What did your father teach you, that helped you in your career and your life?
My Dad only had about a 4th grade education, but some things he taught me still resonate with me today. For instance, when he was selling...he always said, "give first"...a real gift, of information or kindness or a sample of what you're selling. It works in direct marketing...how about your Dad?
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Michael C.
Environmental Specialist at Bergmann Associates
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I know this question asked what our Father's taught us but I expanded a little bit.
My Father has lived, and is still living, a very blue collar life. A self made man who has played a big role in providing for our family. He's also the kind of man who would help anyone. I consider him one of the richest men I know. Not in his savings account or in a 401k, but in the kind of man he is.
He is a foreman at a highway department and the head mechanic. After years of cuts and scrapes and bruises from working on equipment he told me not to use my body for work, but to use my head instead. That was pretty good advice, and although I enjoy physical work, I went to college and use my brain to get things done.
On top of teaching me that, he also gave me the gift of being mechanically inclined. As a toddler I got ahold of a screwdriver and before my parents knew about it I took all the doorknobs off. When I was 4 I used a crescent wrench and took my own training wheels off because my parents said I was too young. Well when they were standing in the backyard and I rode by without training wheels on they were a little surprised. My Dad bought me a dirtbike and from then on I knew how to drive a standard without ever getting into a car. At the age of 15 I rebuilt a Chevy 350 V-8 engine and later a 2.8 liter V6. Knowing the inner-workings of engines and driving a hand-me-down truck that needed a lot of repair worked out great because I got to help him fix them. Now I can do all of my own repairs on seemingly anything mechanical.
He also gave me advice that he never knew he was giving me. Sometimes that's the best kind.
My Grandfather gave me a piece of advice I'll never forget and will someday pass on to my children (when I have some). "Never do anything to disgrace your family name." If you don't care much about your family name maybe it doesn't carry a lot of weight. If you're like me and consider your family name to be the summation of all the men before me who wore it proudly- the Marines, Firemen, Mechanics, Loggers, Business Men, Farmers, etc, you'll do whatever it takes to keep from tarnishing it.
My Grandpa also recommended that I read the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. It's the kind of book you don't just recommend to anyone. In fact I know less than 10 people who I would ever recommend it to. I know what it would require of me to feel about someone prior to recommending it. Knowing that he probably felt the same way when he thought of recommending it to me was more than a compliment and I am a better man after reading it.
My Uncle Bobby recommended a book to me called "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino. I was not delivered into this world in defeat, nor does failure course my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep & complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed.
I come from two families - the Carpenters and the Mattoons, and do whatever I can to make all of them proud. Both have given me the kind of advice that helped me to get where I am and be the kind of man I am.
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My dad has told me almost too many things to list - from a great admiration for sciences, art and history through staying humble,polite and giving even when there is little to give. When he received a math scholarship and later studied chemistry he also acquired a great sense for teaching and answering some of the most fundamental questions. I remember a situation well during my rebellious pre/puberty years when I started to hate math for a while - I asked him for the proof of 1+1 = 2. My dads philosophical explanation was, "We have assumed this to be true and until such time when possibly aliens from outer space show us - that this is incorrect we'll stick with it". At that time I had already known about the 1m and 1kg samples that had been set at some point to be used from then on. His explanation of assumption - left me without further argument and I continued to enjoy studying sciences and everything else again. His diligence in his career to continue finding better solutions for water purification and other environmental problems have greatly impressed me from early on in my career and I will hopefully be able to leave a similar legacy behind. Between my mom and dad I had some of the best teachers a kid could ask for.
Gary C.
President and Chief Executive Officer at Hy9 Corporation
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There was so much, but I'd say the best advice (which has caused problems as well) was the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty through considered thought and actions. When the "individual" is potentiated through thought and action, it allows the person to define themself and, as a consequence not allow society to do it for you
Mary L.
Relocation Services | Moving Links 4 You | ReloMary | USA
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My father taught me that it is imporant to help your friend, your patient (he was a dentist and I was a nurse), or your client feel like they are the only thing that matters at this moment.
LuLu K.
Pest Detection Specialist "Bug Trapper" at Department of Agriculture
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My father was an Upholster he had great people skills. I remember him telling us to be polite to customers cause thats who fed us. He always talked about how important customers were, that the best advertisement was the one you didn't have to pay for. He loved word of mouth. He also didn't let anything go out of the shop he wasn't proud of. He was always booked six months out.
He was the best mentor I have had.
lulu
Wallace J.
Multimedia Producer, i3D Programmer, Acrobat 3D PDF, Android App, Virtual World & iTV Design, Kindle, Nook & Sony eBooks
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If you want something done give it to a busy man. Walls. MindTaffyLLC@Yahoo.com
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Ravi K.
Startup Mason
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I had blues coz I had no shoes
till i saw a man with no legs...
I still carry this thought deep in my heart.
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Richard T.
Master of Design--of events, fashions, games, devices, interfaces, new media, new story-programs
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My father represented the reality principle in life, in distinction to my mother, who represented the civilizing process in life. My father demonstrated anxiety reducing and feeling controlling tactics like "if we cry over every injured pigeon we might as well cry over the tens of thousands of bacteria your immune system is killing every second" or "just because your teachers are limited, foolish, and not trying to especially be competent does not mean you cannot manage to learn something valuable from them if only because they represent a different point for viewing the world than you and I do" and "bosses are a monkey part of humanity and being subservient to them is monkey behavior on your part--it is necessary but only as show, with reality much different and more powerful though you may need to hide reality for a while". My mom taught quite different things "men tend to seek power for the mere purpose of exhibiting their power--they know not what use it really has--it has uses but they are unlocked only with the heart, with connecting with the loves and needs and enthusiasms of other people". I found both of them dangerously biased and incomplete as individuals but the union of them seek smart--from this I got the idea, published in books and articles in the links below, that the basic unit of intelligence is not single human beings but the trio of two women with one man (one man with one woman leads to the woman acquiescing too much to be blended unfortunately). That trio in thought outperforms any individual man or woman thinking alone.
Links:
Dan Z.
SVP/Executive Director at GolinHarris | Automotive Public Relations & Marketing Professional
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Persistence. My dad grew up in an orphanage and had a blue-collar career, but he put me through college and worked hard all his life. Even in his later years, if he started a project around the house, he wouldn't stop until it was done, and done right. That's something I've carried on.
My father taught best by approaching every situation with a combination of quiet empathy and dry humor. He had the ability to develop rapport with anybody in a matter of seconds, whether it was a parking lot attendant, a client, a colleague, or his prospective father-in-law. He put people at ease, made them laugh, and created instant friendships that endured for years.
I strive for this kind of relaxed, confident communication in my own life. Whether I am buying groceries, making a business call, or approaching a new group of people, I think of my dad and how he always found a simple comment that bridged difference, soothed conflict, and made everyone feel that they were on the same side.
Many many things my dad taught me, and still teaches me. Too many to list, but his staple saying was always: "do not look at what you have done today, it will make you tired. Look instead at what you still need to do."
Paul K.
Experienced marketing communications professional and coach / available for job opportunities at self employed
Be as you are.
My father, who passed away in 2000, taught me many things that have helped me throughout my life. He believed that strength of character was of the highest importance, so many of the lessons he taught revolved around that theme. He also loved to quote sayings. There was one quote that struck such a chord with him he had it made into a plaque - about a half dozen of them, actually - and hung them in several rooms of our home and at his office. It was a well-known saying by John Ruskin: "The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it." When I first started my career in real estate, someone wrote that quote on a chalk board at my firm's office. To me, it felt like a message that I was in the right place.
Jerry P.
Professional Speaker, Training Specialist, Motivational Entertainer, Author. Inspirational, meaningful, effective, fun!
Be kind to everyone. Unconditionally. This is the key to excellent customer service, networking ... and a happy life.
I adopted his words, "Don't do anything you'll regret and don't regret anything you do." It taught me to take responsibility for all of my choices and to choose what I saw fit in to my life, risky or otherwise. I have had a wonderful, adventurous life and loves, with no regrets. g
Marilyn J.
Contract Wellness Coach at Everyday Health
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Have a great adventure in your life. He had one--emigrating from Europe to the USA after WWII. I've had many
