For the majority of children, their parents are their first teachers, and while I’ve had many teachers, coaches and mentors, my Dad was the one that had the greatest impact on my formative years, establishing the foundation upon which I went out into the world and built the life that I now have and love.

These are the major lesson that he taught, and the ones that I continue to live by:

1. Family and career require balance

My Dad did shift work up until his retirement in 2017, for much of my early years he either started his workday at 2am or 2pm. He chose to forgo promotion in order to maintain his ability to do shift work. This meant that my brother and I got to spend time with him in the morning or the afternoon, and despite seeing him only half the time he was always present. What he taught me is that being present is not about being in the same physical location. He showed me what it was to sacrifice for the family while continuing to demonstrate through his actions, what it was to be a good man and father

2. Give to others

My Dad would always give donations to people collecting for charity in the street and/or over the phone donating to charities such as the Salvation Army. On the weekends he (and sometimes my brother and I) would spend Saturdays taking care of my grandparent’s gardens. While I didn’t always necessarily appreciate the garden work, in hindsight this and the other simple actions of giving back did become a formative experience in my life. What was so normal for me as a child, built the foundation for my commitment to giving to others.

3. Strive to better yourself and accept that you are good enough

During the earlier stages of my life where I had been down on myself and comparing myself to others life achievements, my Dad would say “remember there will always be someone better off than you and someone worse off than you”. In hindsight there may have been a better way he could have phrased it, but I always understood what he was teaching me. Through his ongoing coaching and support, I always understood that what he was saying is that it’s important to continue to strive to be better, but not to the point where it becomes self-destructive. Acknowledge and appreciate that which you have achieved and continue your journey on to your next milestone, big or small.

4. Set goals and make a plan for how to achieve them

My Dad always had a plan, he always had something he was working towards and knew what he needed to organise to make it happen. If there was a pile of garden waste to take to the tip, he had the trailer, the shovel and the rope ready to go and when it came to loading it up he had a plan on how to do it and how to tie it down to achieve the most secure transport possible. Through this and many other situations, he taught me to know the outcome you are wanting to achieve, identify what you need to achieve it and have a plan for how you’re going to get it done. More importantly than all that, he taught me that when the rubbish falls off the back of the trailer while driving, identify why it happened and how to prevent that from happening again.

5. Education is important

Like many parents, my Dad made it very clear to me that education was important when I was in grade 6 and didn’t know my multiplication tables he coached me to the point I was on par with the rest of the class. As I moved through high school my parents always encouraged education, but it was always balanced and what I learnt was that education is crucial, education in all forms. This was reinforced in my later years with other mentors teaching me that you should always be learning.

Life is a journey and I’m always looking for new teachers in my life, in part two of this blog I’ll share what my son has taught me.