Today is my father’s birthday so I thought to reshare this post that I wrote several years ago. My father taught me a lot growing up, naturally, but these are my top five. They were sayings I heard repeated often growing up and still do to this day.
1. USE A TOOL
You can’t do everything by yourself or with your own bare hands. It’s ok to ask for help. This generally takes the form of getting out a wrench or a knife but it also can relate to people and how you live your life. You won’t ever have all the knowledge but it’s ok to ask other people to share their knowledge with you.
I have the tendency to be a little headstrong and always wanted to do everything by myself growing up, and this is a phrase that I heard often.
2. MAKE A LIST
If you ever need to remember more than two things, you will forget. Write them down. This has been proven to me more times than you can imagine! This has turned me into a list person much like my father.
People joke about list-making all the time but it’s a really good way to organize your thoughts (and not just your groceries). At university I would always make a list, outlining all my thoughts, before writing a paper. I do the same now with blog posts! It cuts your writing time in half because once all your thoughts are down on paper you can focus on them one at a time and organize them appropriately rather than getting sidetracked inside your own head.
This has become even more important now that I have a tiny human to take care of as well as myself. My most productive days are the ones where I list or map out my day the previous night so I have an outline of tasks that need to get done and when they need to get done. I’ll get really detailed some days like – 6am workout/shower/get ready, nap #1 edit pictures/unload the dishwasher, etc. It may seem like overkill but it keeps me on task when I have endless amounts of distractions around me.
3. DO IT WHEN YOU THINK OF IT
Procrastination is a bad habit that (in most of us, myself included) needs constant work. If you keep telling yourself “oh I’ll do it later”, chances are it just won’t happen. If something is urgent, or simply needs to get done, follow Nike’s advice and just do it. This applies to things large and small.
Want a small example from my life? I’m really bad about putting the reusable grocery bags in my car. I always think “oh I need to do that. The next time I go out to my car, I’ll grab them.” Do I ever remember? Nope. If I had taken 2 minutes at the time, it would have been done. Instead, I get stuck paying for grocery bags.
4. TAKE THE LEAD
If there is something you really want, you have to take the lead. Want that promotion? Ask for it. Want to have that life? Work for it. As a natural introvert (more on that later), I tend to not step forward and ask for the things I want in life. My father has pushed me time and time again to always take the lead on things that I’m passionate about, whether that means auditioning for the most prestigious ballet school in the country or asking for a raise at work.
Not much is just handed to you in life so if you don’t ask, then, of course, the answer will be no! And if you are scared of asking, in most cases, know that the worst that can happen, is getting a no. But sometimes, you’ll get a yes (and often the respect of people that you were daring enough to ask at all!)
5. TIME ALONE IS TIME TO RECHARGE
I take after my father in the fact that we are both introverts. My mom, on the other hand, is about as extroverted as it gets. However, I know that lots of us introverts feel the pressure to suppress these tendencies and act extroverted all the time, which can be/is totally exhausting. It’s ok to take that time to yourself. It’s not being anti-social, it’s not being rude. For us introverts, time alone is time to recharge so we can be our best selves.
