Fatherly Advice

Two weekends ago my father and I took a trip up to Cooperstown to visit the baseball Hall of Fame. Let’s just say it was trip 20+ years in the making but we finally did it! Highly recommend going whether you consider yourself a casual or die-hard baseball fan.

Anytime my dad and I see each other, we pick up from where we left off. Over the years, my dad has taught and instilled lessons and advice that are prescient for every life situation.

After the trip, I believe it’s high time to share with you some of those valuable lessons and its applicability to life.

Belts & Suspenders — I’ve heard this since I was in diapers. Ever been in a situation where you flew by the seam of your pants? Hate that feeling? I do. If it’s a big work presentation, or making vacation plans — it’s important for me to cover all my bases to ensure anything (that’s in my control) goes smoothly. Might be overkill, but I’d rather ‘pre-sell’ senior management and my boss before I make a presentation and give a glimpse into what I’m trying to convey vs getting caught off-guard or thrown off my presentation.

$2.50 (taking into account inflation) still gets you on the subway — Having a college diploma from Indiana University is nice, but a lot of people with whom I interact everyday went to a 4 year college. What separates the common from the unique? The leader from the pack? Know what is needed to distinguish yourself!

Never look in other people’s pockets — So and so has a huge house or a beautiful car or how come so and so can’t afford to go to dinner with us? These are just sample situations which my Dad shot back with the aforementioned line. Being and caring for yourself is a 24/7/365 job. When you start to stray, focus and talk about someone else who has either less or more, you have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors; what tsuris (worries) they have or naches (joy) those people are experiencing.

Don’t know, nor do I care — There have been times (and still are times) where I’ve mentioned something to my Dad and his response was matter-of-fact, ‘I don’t know, nor do I care.’ As much to my chagrin, it has made me think: ‘what’s invaluable vs valuable?’ Separating the signal from the noise.

I’d love to hear the valuable tidbits your father bestowed onto you. Please share!