My dad's birthday was this month, and he hates getting lots of attention on his birthday...
Don't worry, dad: nobody reads this blog.
Here's a little tribute to my father:
My dad is the best. The life lessons that he's taught me have in large part made me who I am, and I am extremely grateful and lucky to have been raised by him.
Thanks, dad.
I want to share with you one lesson that my dad taught me many years ago when I was a wee, little boy.
This lesson is so important to me that it permanently etched itself in my brain and I refer back to it almost every day. I don't remember exactly how old I was back when he shared it with me — I don't really remember much of anything from back then — but this lesson I remember clearly.
Once upon a time, my dad borrowed a friend's truck so that he could transport some big things (I don't remember what they were). My dad took me along to go get the truck and move the stuff. At some point during the adventure, we were sitting in the truck, cleaning it up... wiping down the interior, even though we didn't mess it up, and throwing away trash that wasn't even ours... and it was somewhere around this time that my dad spoke to me words that I paraphrase today, but that I will never forget: "If you borrow something from someone, always return it in better condition than you got it."
The essence of this lesson is: give more than you get.
... and I think that that may just be the most important lesson that anyone can ever learn.
And if you look closely, I think you'll find that many of the greatest business minds in the world understand, live by, and share this same lesson in their own way and words.
Happy birthday daddy-o. You're a smart dude, and one helluva dad.
