With Father’s Day being this month, I can’t help but think
of the many life lessons my dad has taught me. He has taught me the typical
things such as: how to ride a bike, shoot a basketball, drive a car and shoot a
gun, but he’s also taught me a long list of valuable lessons that will stick
with me forever. Here are four of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from
my dad that have helped me and I believe they can help you too:
Go See for Yourself
I was 14-years-old when my dad and I were driving home one
evening. I asked him why he would switch from bright headlights to dim
headlights when he passed another car. He said, “well let’s see what happens if
we don’t.” So, he left the bright lights on and we passed one car, and nothing
happened. We passed another car, and nothing happened. Then, we were coming up
on our house, but he was determined to show me what would happen, so we drove
passed our house until we finally found another car who flashed their brights
at us. He could have easily just told me what would happen, but he wanted me to
see for myself.
My dad is all about natural consequences. You want to know
what would happen if you jumped off of the slide onto the tramp? Go try it out!
You want to wear shorts instead of pants on a hike over the mountain even
though he told you he’d recommend pants? Go for it! He’d encourage us to test
out our theories (probably the engineer in him), so we could see the result for
ourselves.
We All Have To Do Hard
Things
No matter how hard a certain task is, sometimes you just
have to do it. The lawn will always need to be mowed, pulling weeds will never
be fun, and your car will always need an oil change. Growing up, I remember my
dad would walk in the door from work, and walk right back out the door to walk
the dog, mow the lawn, or water the garden. Whether he was exhausted or not,
there were things that needed to be done. This stretches way beyond simple
household chores and spreads into things like getting through a tough college
class, or dealing with difficult roommates. It is a lesson that we all have to
learn, and the quicker we do, the easier things will be.
Go After Your Dreams
My dad has attempted over a dozen 100-mile ultra-marathons.
He has finished half of them and had to quit during the other half because
either the weather or his body wasn’t cooperating. He always had a dream of
running a 100-miler and I was able to watch him start by running a 5k, a half
marathon, a marathon, and so on and so forth. He made it clear that if you want
to achieve your dream, then just go out and do it.
Don’t Take Life Too Seriously
My dad is still a kid at heart. He has a bowl of ice cream
almost every night and is up for a game of “Mormon Bridge” at any moment. My
dad is always looking for fun, whether it be swinging on the swing set with his
grandkids, hiking to the top of a waterfall, or jumping into a pool fully
clothed. His demeanor just reminds you that life isn’t meant to be hard, and
we’re the ones that make it that way.
I hope this prompts you to reflect on the life lessons that
your own father has taught you this month. If you are a father yourself, then I
want to wish you a very Happy Father’s Day!
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