MY DAD ALWAYS TAUGHT ME, 'YOU DON'T DO WRONG AND GET BY IT WILL ALWAYS COME BACK ON YOU TEN FOLD'. IT HAS MADE ME A BETTER PERSON WITH A BETTER PERSONALITY. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I START TO DO THOSE WORDS WILL BE THE FIRST THING I THINK ABOUT.

My Dad is one of a kind! He always said his job was to keep the family laughing. Which he did a good job doing. He taught me, if someone is acting out of the norm, they most likely are experiencing some kind of personal issue. Time and again, his advice as proven to be true. I try to remind myself of this, when someone is upset or acts differently toward me and not to take it personally.

He taght me how to believe in myself.

"Always check the simple things first." Whether it was trouble with things around the house, the car, some electronic gizmo, or even problems between people, my dad taught me that about 90% of the time it's the simple, obvious stuff that usually turns out to be the problem. In his long and varied career, he couldn't begin to count the number of times things weren't plugged in all the way, the "on" button hadn't been pushed, a wire was loose, or a person didn't mean what you thought they did by a remark. To this day when something isn't working right in my life, I try to stop my frazzled attempts to force it and just look at the simple stuff first.

My dad taught me to not worry about shaving my thighs, I will always remember him explaining to me that it wouldn't be fun for a boy wanting to put his hand on my leg to come into some stubble - could definitely ruin the moment.

Music matters. My dad was always listening to music and wanted to share his favorite music with me, even if I didn't always like it. When he was feeling moody, he would often disappear into the back room of the house and listen to music in the dark, and every day he would play his harmonica. It taught me to appreciate all kinds of music, and to listen with my ears wide open. Because of that, music has and always will be a huge part of my life and gets me through the happy and sad moments. I even married a musician and our 3-year-old loves music, too. When he's coloring or playing he's always humming or singing a little tune.

To never feel like a failure but attempt and enjoy as many things as I can.

My Dad used to always tell me that "peace of mind is everything". It really rings true now in my 30s when I realize that the best choices are the ones that will result in the least stress I recently turned down a promotion because I knew it would mean a lot of worry and anxiety. I only surround myself with people who make me calm and happy. Having this comment as my guiding light has really enhanced my quality of life. Dad has been gone 3 years now but his joie de vivre is a gift that lives on.

My dad is a man of few words, but when he speaks, my sister and I listen. Growing up, he always told us to save our money, do things that make our lives better, and to work hard. However, the best piece of advice he gave and exemplified was his favorite adage: "Some things are better left unsaid." He always told us when some words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. Whenever I'm in a situation where I do not know what to do, I think of his wisdom, which has saved me a great deal of grief. I do not have to regret words said in haste or anger. I realize how important it is to let things be without throwing in my unnecessary two cents.

I was living with my fiance when I made the difficult decision to cancel the wedding and had to find a new place. When I was upset over all the arguments about who got to keep what, my dad reminded me that "things are just things and can be replaced, but your peace of mind is invaluable". I let go of all the stuff and a futon got me along just fine until I got back on my feet.

When I was growing up and encountered those bumps along the road of life, my father would always put things into perspective by saying, "If that's the worst thing that ever happens to you, you'll be lucky."

REAL SIMPLE MOTIVATOR

My Father was my guiding light -I lost him way too early when he was 62, but as long as I breathe, he lives within me.He adored his little girl and made sure I always knew that.

I was an only child, born when my folks were 30 (an older age in those days). Don’t ever let anyone say only children are spoiled or selfish. Olnly children are both sons and daughters in one, are usually filled with an over developed sense of responsibility .... and besides, have no one to share the blame with when something goes wrong and you’re asked ‘who did this?’
That should have made Dad overindulgent, over protective and totally blind to anything I did wrong. Absolutely not. My Dad was a realist and always said ‘I can understand and accept then you’ve done wrong .... I can’t accept your making the same mistake twice..’ I made lots of mistakes but very few duplications.
The most important thing Pop taught me was to believe in myself andto trust my best judgement. He gave me approval and permission o make a decision (after a resonable amount of thought, of course) and stand by it. He told me that he respected me and my judgement and although he might voice his opinion, whether asked or not, he respected my right to make my own decisions. He didn’t think it was fair or right to step in and make my decisions for me. I had to bear the the consequences of my own actions .... and they should be my own, since I had to live with them. This meant the world to me. I always knew he loved me with all his heart and would die for me if necessary but his faith and trust in me were the most valuable gifts he could have given me.

He's simple and pure, lovingly stern and full of raw honesty. He loves our God, his wife, my mother, his children and 15 grandchildren in such a special way-accepting and finding their unique personalities and talents so very dear to his heart. He is committed to hard work and sacrifice for those he loves whether it be best or hardest of times of his life. Most of all, he's a wonderful man that I love so very very much. That's my Dad.

My Dad was not a kind and loving father. He didn't think it was necessary for girls to go to college, this was 1973, not 1903!. What he taught me in a backhanded way was that I had to fight if I really wanted something, even if it meant the disapproval of those closest to me. I managed to get myself through college and grad school without his support. He produced a "can do" attitude in me despite his best efforts to hold me back from realizing my dreams.

My Dad is a wonderful man. He is kind, loving, true to family, VERY funny, patient, truthful, has a respect for nature, doesn't know a stranger as they say, respectful of people, loves animals, and most of all he has changed positions with my Mom, who suffers from advanced enphesema. He has learned how to be a "house Dad". He does almost everything, and at the age of 86! He has taught me love, and he is still in love with my Mom. What a guy!!

One summer during college, there was an abandoned railroad station for sale near where I worked. I mentioned to my dad it would make a great home for runaway or abandoned kids. My dad told me to call and see how much it was up for, which of course was close to $500,000. He told me never to be afraid to dream big and believe in it. More importantly, he showed me he believed in me.

My father was very stern as I and my 2 older sisters were growing up. Anytime any of us would get into any trouble, Dad would'nt say a word. But somehow we always found ourselves before him confessing our guilt and crying our eyes out. He would always respond in the same way. He would look at us straight in the eye and quietly say, "Well Loni, we all make mistakes" then he would pause and say, "lets just hope you learned something from it" And no matter what it was, those words would give closure to the situation and then we could get up and move on, having learned one more lesson in life.

While going through a very difficulot divorce I was feeling like a complete failure. My father wrote to me to "remember the strengths and principles of your ancestors, faith, sorrority and family to give you peace." Sixteen years later, I still have that note.

My Dad taught me the importance of doing things right. The honesty that he portrays in his own life have filtered down into his children's and grandchildren's lives. He stands true to his words to people around him especially my mom. This has been a valuable lesson to our family.

I'll never forget the time when the entire family (even us married ones ; ) went on vacation together. My dad treated us all to dinner at a fine restaurant. After we left the restaurant, he realized that he had miscalculated the waiters tip and short changed him. By this time the restaurant had closed. The next day, the first thing my dad did was drive to the restaurant and give the waiter not only what was due him but extra. It taught us all to never underestimate the power of integrity.

My Dad taught me, my sister, my 2 nephews and my 2 sons that if you can't BE the best at what you do then just DO the best that you can do. We've all remembered that and every one of us has become successful in our lives.

My dad taught me to always pay my bills on time and keep my checkbook balanced each month.

My father kinda sent out mixed messages. On one hand he said, "Do something, even if it's wrong!" On the other he said, "Don't do it if you can't do it right!"
I guess we had our choice of which way we wanted to go. But the most lasting statement he made to me was, "People don't tease you unless they love you."

Hugs fix everything.