A Father's Advice

"If you want to make as much money as a guy like Justin Timberlake then you can't work nine to five...."

At the time Justin Timberlake had just become very famous, I was baffled at the money and notoriety that many of these up and coming young celebrities achieved at such a young age.  My father went on to say, "then work on the weekends, work on your vacations, stay up late and work, be absolutely dedicated to whatever it is you want to do." I did have a sense of entitlement when I graduated college, but my father was there to ground me and he went on to explain that some of these very wealthy, famous people don't rest—they got what they wanted by tirelessly working toward their dream.

"He was married before? Great! he knows what he did wrong"...

Another bit of advice with a big stamp of approval from my dad in regards to my future husband. After meeting him in 2000, I told my dad, who had also been through a previous marriage, "he was married for a short time."  My father's response, "second marriage success," and for our marriage, this stands true. Someone that has been through a marriage that didn't work knows when to take a step back when familiar disagreements rise and quickly fix them before they get worse.

A dad's advice... no frills and straight to the point. I cherished those conversations with him. Before he died, I would visit him in the hospital and although he could barely hold a conversation, I was always satisfied with the few broken sentences filled with help, advice, or simple encouragement.