No Dad never took me hunting although he lives for it… that isn’t the “One Shot” he is talking about. It’s Father’s Day today and although I think of my dad year round today is the day I think about him all day and want to share him with you.
Let me explain about How I’ve come to understand....
I will always remember the words that came from my father’s mouth and still do “one day you will understand son, you have One Shot”. When we are young we think the world revolves around us and think our parents are old farts telling us what to do. I remember seeing dad out in the garden every summer for hours and I thought why doesn’t he just go to the shop to buy vegetables and fruits…. but I get it now. I understand that in order for us as humans to grasp the reality of what life is truly about we have to live it. Everything is not handed to us on a silver platter and love grows and will continue to grow when we work together.
I for one never thought of my dad as an old fart nor do I today (except for the white hair, sorry dad). He is the man who always wanted to know what was in my bucket, “what’s your next move son”? Life is like a chess game, the piece is your life, you try not to get knocked down but if you do you get right back up…. it’s your move.. where are you going to go?
My father a strict man yet eager to get his point across to make sure his children understood how to maintain life on their own when the time came. At work he was a leader and now I understand why, funny how I keep saying “I understand why”. I bet many of you can stop and think of something your mom and dad taught you and you understand why now. That is the power of generations.. and a power that we need to give our children.
Money was discussed in our family and part of the deal was that we earned our money so we understood what responsibility was. I did just that with my paper route and I will never forget that experience, it’s where I first learned about savings. I am the man I am today because my parents thought outside the box, they didn’t scrutinize my every move, they guided me. I learned simply by watching what they do, and perhaps when we have children they will do the same.
Every morning without fail we would hear our father singing to us in the morning just to get us out of bed as if no one ever slept in. “It’s time to get up, it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up in the morning”. Who needs an alarm clock.. when you have dad. Even today sleeping in is terribly difficult for me as I feel time passes me by. I’ve always maintained a fairly strict schedule going to bed and waking up at the same time. Dad was right, I feel 100% ready to tackle the day when I get sleep and that makes me feel strong, positive and happy.
“Make the world a better place Son” he would say, yet I never understood until this day (there I go again). He meant that life is not a race, life is not about bling, life is about life… you only get “one shot” at it. The world is a big place, explore it, learn about it, live it. Too often we see people worrying about what other’s do in their day yet forget about our own day.
The need to share has been misplaced, the need to jump ahead one spot is more important than the message itself. Money IS the root of all evil, if your goal is money, it’s like waiting to win the lottery, fat chance. Share what your passions are and if others believe and follow you so will the riches that belong. That is the message my father taught me, a genius in my mind because to me he is right. To my father the riches were the fruit and vegetables in his garden, to us it was work to him it was love, but now I understand.
Take life as it comes, take it step by step, Lead don’t follow and you will get where you need to be…. and that is here and now… and as I continue down the path called “Life” no amount of money can take that away from me. You can’t spend money when you are dead but you also need to enjoy life now but not with the stress of debt on your shoulders… so spend less than you earn now, budget and save for what you need and spend what you can to live your “one shot“. I know I am!
Now that I understand, do you?… I hope I make both my parents proud…
Come hang out with Mr.CBB….and talk Life and Money!
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