In the spirit of Father’s Day, I thought I would reflect on my father and some of the lessons I learned from him as a child.
Improve Your Game
My father has always been competitive. Whether it be in sports or his career, he always strived to win and be the best. This is something he instilled in me at a young age as I began to play sports. Always practice more and play harder, whether on or off the field.
By passing this on to me, it has granted me with a good work ethic and has me always striving to be better. This has helped me greatly in life and will continue to do so. While I am not as competitive as my father, it does feel good to walk away with the big “W”!
Identifying Trends
Throughout my childhood, my father worked in the finance industry, mostly as a stock broker. I remember how intently he used to watch Bloomberg in his typical khaki shorts, Masters belt, and polo. I always thought that was weird, that those were his comfort clothes, but hey whatever works. But anyways, the times that I would sit and watch these programs with him, I remember him always stressing the importance of identifying market trends and knowing our history.
He would comment on how markets operate as a pendulum swing to some degree. They are up, then they are down, and then back up. By knowing the history of markets, you could better identify trends and either excel in the market or at least mitigate some of your loses.
While he may or may not have been talking specifically about markets, I have applied this lesson to many aspects in my life. I love being able to identify trends at macro and micro levels. I can then use that information to make decisions, whether that be in conversations, development, or finances. It has been something truly valuable in life.
Try New Things
When I was younger, I was not a fan of change. I never liked moving, making new friends, or trying out for new sports teams. I think I was kind of a shy kid. But my father was typically there, pushing me to get through those moments in life, even though I hated them.
If I was shy or didn’t want to do something, my father would step up and be there to either lead me through it or give me the nudge I needed. As I have gotten older, I have become much more comfortable with change and trying new things. Now, Liann takes the mantle with encouraging me to do new things when I need it, in her Jersey attitude kind of way.
I do have to say that if my father didn’t push me through those moments or make them a little easier for me, I may not be so comfortable with change now.
Personal Finances
This lesson was learned by not following in my father’s footsteps. My father is good with stocks, but not so good with budgeting. So to learn about well-balanced personal finances, I just did the opposite of what he did.
This is why I am debt-free and live off of 50% of my income. While I wish my father didn’t experience any financial hardship, I will say that I am grateful to have learned from his experiences.
Family Is Important
Through his actions, my father taught me that family is important. He provided for his family, but on top of that, he was nearly always there for the important moments in my childhood. He coached a number of the sports teams I played on, he typically made it home for dinner when he wasn’t traveling for work, and I don’t know if he ever missed one of my childhood games.
I know his job was demanding and he worked a lot but always made the effort to show up, which I think is very important. It registered within me that family is important and you need to show up.
What lessons have you learned from your father? Comment below!
Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there!
