This month will be the thirteenth-year anniversary of my father’s passing. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him (or my mom) in some way, and I miss them so much. I sometimes find the voice of my father in moments and the softness of mom at other times.
While my father was difficult for me growing up, I learned to appreciate him and see the wounded (perhaps traumatized) child within him and also the larger-than-life courageous man he appeared to me at different times in my youth and realized he was in many ways in my adulthood.
The plaque (in the above photo) was given to me when I was seven years old: It says “To our beloved daughter Nadia. In recognition of her ardent pursuit of general education and physical fitness.” What’s funny about this is that he created a contest with three contestants (including myself...not particularly competitive) and I won due to no merit of my own: I was blessed with the discipline gene and the Capricorn-goat quality of determination. In the other photo, he inscribed in the book the Law of Success how “Nothing is impossible” and how applying the laws of success would benefit my life.
Dad sure fed my mind and my spirit in helpful ways. He also encouraged working out and I’m one of those nuts who actually enjoys my morning workout, which has been with me throughout my lifetime thanks to him. As time has passed, I’ve learned to release parts of the doer and the achiever that didn’t serve me and defined success for myself based more on what’s internal and what I define as meaningful. The fact is that Dad provided the foundation for me to think for myself and to see that “nothing is impossible” in my response to situations, to the self within me and to others. Ultimately, I have choice.
My father gave me the Law of Success when I was fourteen years old and as I review them now, I find beauty in them. In case you’re curious. Here’s the Fifteen Laws of Success by Napolean Hill: 1) A Definite Chief Aim, 2) Self-Confidence, 3) Habit of Saving, 4) Initiative and Leadership, 5) Imagination, 6) Enthusiasm, 7) Self-Control, 8) The Habit of Doing More than Paid For, 9) Pleasing Personality, 10) Accurate Thinking, 11) Concentration, 12) Cooperation, 13) Profiting by Failure, 14) Tolerance, 15) Practicing the Golden Rule
Are there “laws” here you aspire to uphold? If so, what’s some small action(s) that can bring you closer to experiencing them?
While my father was difficult for me growing up, I learned to appreciate him and see the wounded (perhaps traumatized) child within him and also the larger-than-life courageous man he appeared to me at different times in my youth and realized he was in many ways in my adulthood.
The plaque (in the above photo) was given to me when I was seven years old: It says “To our beloved daughter Nadia. In recognition of her ardent pursuit of general education and physical fitness.” What’s funny about this is that he created a contest with three contestants (including myself...not particularly competitive) and I won due to no merit of my own: I was blessed with the discipline gene and the Capricorn-goat quality of determination. In the other photo, he inscribed in the book the Law of Success how “Nothing is impossible” and how applying the laws of success would benefit my life.
Dad sure fed my mind and my spirit in helpful ways. He also encouraged working out and I’m one of those nuts who actually enjoys my morning workout, which has been with me throughout my lifetime thanks to him. As time has passed, I’ve learned to release parts of the doer and the achiever that didn’t serve me and defined success for myself based more on what’s internal and what I define as meaningful. The fact is that Dad provided the foundation for me to think for myself and to see that “nothing is impossible” in my response to situations, to the self within me and to others. Ultimately, I have choice.
My father gave me the Law of Success when I was fourteen years old and as I review them now, I find beauty in them. In case you’re curious. Here’s the Fifteen Laws of Success by Napolean Hill: 1) A Definite Chief Aim, 2) Self-Confidence, 3) Habit of Saving, 4) Initiative and Leadership, 5) Imagination, 6) Enthusiasm, 7) Self-Control, 8) The Habit of Doing More than Paid For, 9) Pleasing Personality, 10) Accurate Thinking, 11) Concentration, 12) Cooperation, 13) Profiting by Failure, 14) Tolerance, 15) Practicing the Golden Rule
Are there “laws” here you aspire to uphold? If so, what’s some small action(s) that can bring you closer to experiencing them?
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