What My Dad Taught Me About Success

I’m a Daddy’s girl. My Dad and I have always had a special bond and I can honestly say that I would not be where I am without him.

In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, I thought it would be fun to share a few of the things he taught me that made all of the difference.

Here are 5 rules of success that I learned from my Dad:

1. Try it, if you don’t like it quit. My Dad is not a quitter. But this was his advice when I asked him if I should get into real estate. I was so worked up over making a decision and his advice was perfect. Sometimes we get so twisted about things that we can’t move forward. The only way to know is to give it a try. You can always course correct down the road.
2. That may not be the best decision you ever made: Sage advice at the time. He was kind enough not to follow it up with “I told you so”. My Dad is a master of diplomacy. He taught me how to get a point across, but to do it in a loving way that didn’t antagonize the other person.
3. Sing while you ski: Some of my best ski lessons have been following his tracks down the mountain. One thing he taught me is that it helps to sing while you ski (ideally not very loud so that you don’t get weird looks, but then again, who cares?). Singing, or listening to music helps you get a rhythm, which helps with turns. The same is true in everyday life. Finding your rhythm makes it easier to keep things flowing.
4. Inspiration shows up in unusual ways: When I was in junior high, my mom had surgery and my dad had to do the cooking for several weeks. It was the first time he had ever cooked, and it was terrible! He even messed up the rice, and I didn’t think that was possible! He could have grumbled about having to cook and merely tolerated it, but instead he embraced it. He took it as a challenge and a chance to try something new. Now he loves to cook and is amazing at it. His home-made lasagna is legendary! So often in life things come up that we view as a hassle or just one more thing added to our already overloaded schedule. If we take a deep breath, though, and choose to embrace it, it will shift our energy and may open a door to a passion we didn’t even know we had.
5. There is more to life than you think: My Dad was in the Air Force while I was growing up. We moved every 3 years and lived all over the world. It taught me a lot. I have  experienced different cultures, and most importantly, learned what it feels like to be the odd man out. When we lived in Europe, we were the foreigners that didn’t speak the language. And this was before the internet and all of the helpful apps they have today. It gave me an idea, though, of what people who are new to this area go through. It also taught me that there is always more to the story.

So to Dad’s everywhere, thank you for all that you have taught us. We appreciate you!

To your success!
Nicole