Ten Things I Learned from My Father which Last a Lifetime

After almost three decades living with my father, I have realized I have learned so many things from him which are really worth enumerating. These lessons have proven very helpful for me as I made this journey in life. Although things will not work out fine for me at times, I still manage to prove on one way or another that the discipline of following these lessons I learned from him still matters everyday. Here are the Ten Things I learned from my Father which will last a Lifetime.

1. Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you.
• We all know this famous Goldern rule. My father is one follower of this.He does not want to take advantage of other person even if he knew he can. 
2. Leading by Example
• He practiced what he preached. If he tells us not to do this, he would also do the same even if it means sacrificing his pride.
3. It is better to give than to receive
• He always love sharing his blessings to his friend. 
4. Life is a gamble
• He will always try to gamble at things and I knew he is only testing the water. Then he will observe the result and come up with conclusion. This is how he became street smart. I only learn those things when he is speaking with his friends.
5. Just do it
• I used to complain doing things he always instructed me to do so especially early in the morning. But now, I am still seeking that wake up call early in the morning to face the day ahead. Just do it is all I remember speaking to myself everytime I think twice of following him.
6. Never boast
• Although he has lots of things to be proud of, he did not use that to gain attention. Instead he used it in a very appropriate manner and in appropriate situation.
7. Learn to stand on your own
• My father along with his sisters learned the early sacrifices in life at a young age. They learned to live by themselves and manage to help each other to keep their children at school.
8. Be consistent
• As a child, i learned to discipline myself the way my father taught me. I observe that his consistencies of being angry all day once you disobeyed him, early on led me to believe that I must follow his instruction and never deviate from it. This is also applicable to my child. If I did not show consistency throughout the day, she would think that i am just joking around and she can easily entice me with her naughtiness. Kids like her must see from their parent consistencies of their action because otherwise, they will not follow you and will not be disciplined.
9. Learn to have friends and Network yourself
• I am surprised even now that my father was able to learn many skills throughout his life. He can be electrician, a carpenter, a driver, a welder, a farmer, a healer and a cook. With this skills set, he was able to network himself and have many friends along the way. I also appreciate that even younger generations look up to him because he can discuss lots of manly things under the sun. He even know both Ilocano, tagalog and Bisayas.
10. Become a streetsmart guy
• Having all the skillset and the network, my father ultimately became a streetsmart guy. He knows the in and out of the metro. Even where the road leads from each streets because he was formerly taxi driver.

Happy 66th Birthday Father :)