How ironic that with my dad's dementia, my brother and I have to give our father direction in life. Still, the words of wisdom and the tidbits he imparted on us over the years help me realize today that, he was preparing me for almost anything that would come my way. Some of the things dad told me are forever etched into my soul.

Inspired by this life lessons story, I've decided to share with you the top 5 lessons dad has taught me.
5) You'll catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar.
Dad taught me that I'll most likely to get the job, get the date with that girl, and make a new friends by being nice rather than being rude. Dad taught me to be kind and help others when I can, and now I teach my sons the same.


4) Hard work pays off.
Dad would say things like, "you've got to work and pay, then you can go outside and play." He once said, "I don't care what you do in life, just be the best at it that you can be." And this one really stands out. When I was selling radio advertising, I was getting nothing but rejection. "How many do you call on before you get a nibble" he asked. "About 20" I said. "How many have you seen today?" After I replied with 10, he said "looks like you've got 10 more to see today."


3) If I'd focus more on improving the system rather than trying to screw it over, I'd be a millionaire.
When you're young, you'll try to find the cheap way out, but when you get older you realize that the cheap comes out expensive. Great advice dad!


2) If you can count your friends on one hand, you're doing good.
To this day I remain close friends with some people I've know for 30 to 40 years. But only with a few. Being in the public with my radio career, and becoming friends with thousands of people, I can't deny that dad's wisdom is so true.


1) Life is short, make every day count.
When your a teenager, you're invincible. You feel like you're going to live forever. Now, I'm seeing contemporaries pass away. My father once said, "The older you get, the closer to God you become." And it's because of dad taking us to church when we were young that has me still going today.

Well, thank you for giving me a moment to reflect on lessons learned from my dad. Soon, he won't remember who I am, but I'll never forget the life lessons he taught me.

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