MY DAD MY HERO ALWAYs

In honour of Father's Day, I hereby jot down the lessons Dad taught me.

There is always going to be someone out there who is better looking than you or more intelligent than you. The one thing you have complete control over is how hard you work. Work the hardest. An important lesson my dad taught me was work ethic. Thanks to him, I've found that the harder I work, the luckier I get! He taught me the importance of a firm handshake. We practised for hours until he thought I had it down. He said, as a woman, I would always have to prove that I was strong, and a handshake was the first thing people used to start forming their opinion.

One thing my father often said was, "You owe your family 40 hours a week. Follow your passion and make sure you get your fair share." As Dad put it, "The horses pulling the wagon ought to be getting their share of the oats."

My father taught me not to accept the status quo—to question everything. It's helped me throughout my career and even pushed me to my maximum potential. If you accept the way things are, you're not motivated to seek change.

My dad taught me so much by example. He has always been kind to those around him and has employees who have worked with him for 25-30 years. He has always taken the time to help those in need and really share all the gifts that he has been given. He used to say, "That could have been us. We could have been born over there instead of over here. I have to help." But his words as I start each new job are always, "Play nice with the other kids." I love you, Dad!

An important lesson my dad taught me was work ethic. Thanks to him, I've found that the harder I work, the luckier I get! He always said, "Be responsive! Return every call or email by close of business, same day. It's amazing the opportunities that open up when we simply get back to people in a timely manner."

There are no shortcuts—make all the stops along the way up. My dad always drilled one thing into me: "If you undertake something, do it completely, do it well, and do not quit until you bring it to its logical conclusion. And to do it well, do only one thing at a time."

To be there early, the early birds definitely catch more worms! When you're working, be 100% focused on work. When you're with your family, be 100% focused on them.

When I first started my career, my dad gave me the best advice anyone has ever given me. He said, "Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Don't overwork yourself, or you'll burn out."

Remember to greet people each morning with "Good morning" and a smile. What he meant was: It's always good to start the day on a positive note and to socialize with the people around you. This advice has come a long way, as I have been able to build solid relationships wherever I go. Act enthusiastically, and you'll be enthusiastic! Even if you're having a bad day, putting a healthy dose of enthusiasm into whatever you're doing can really turn it around.

Most people will walk along the same path and do good things, and that is okay if you want to stay on the same path as them. But if you want to do truly great things, you need to step off that path and be willing to go it alone if need be in order to find your passion and create something out of the ordinary.

Love going to work and love going home. You can make every mistake there is to make, but only once. Cry inside. Never

 lose your compassion. Never get used to losing someone.

My dad taught me to be honest, respectful, and work hard, to help others, and you'll always get help in return. Blend into any environment and feel at home anywhere in the world. He also said that a smile will take me a long way — how very true.

My father continually told me that two words do not exist, and he never allowed me to use them. Those words are "cannot" and "impossible." That taught me to always (a) figure out ways to achieve my goals and (b) persist until I do.

"Life isn't fair," which means don't whine or cry when things aren't fair at work; instead, work your fanny off to get what you want. And I did, and it worked! -