“The only people who are really going to be there for you at the end of the day, are your family. Don’t break our trust”
He was right. Very few of your “friends” will actually be there in the end. If you really need someone, you can always count on your family; especially your parents. I’ve learned to be grateful for everything they’ve done for me. Teenage rebellion is a thing of the past. Respect your parents and respect the way that they treat you.
“Don’t confuse effort with results.”
There were a lot of times in school where I didn’t do very well, and I tried to sugar coat it by insisting that I tried my best. This was a lesson that I was taught slowly, but surely. I heard this a lot when I was younger, but I understand it differently now. These few words summarize what it is to be an adult. Nobody is going to care how hard you try if you aren’t delivering results. You cannot just live in some la-la-land where as long as you try, you succeed. That just isn’t how real life works. It’s so much better to have learned this from a young age than to have been told from a future employer that my “try” just weren’t going to cut it. Just like with school, it’s not enough to just sit at a desk studying for four hours if end up failing the test.
“Figure out what you want, figure out what it’s going to take to get it, and get it done”
This is something I replay in my head almost every day. When I start to get tired from my busy schedule, I remind myself what it is I am working for. My dad has taught me not to fear failure, but to be ready for it. I’ve begun to cut excuses out of my life almost entirely. Don’t want to study? Well, no valid reason not to; get it done. Move on to the next thing. Get that done too.
“By God”
Commonly used by my dad several times while teaching me and reminding me of the aforementioned lessons. Usually, expresses the power of having God as your witness to see to it that you fulfill your goals and promises that you make.
