Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.
Dad’s are the best. Not only because in many ways they are your teachers in life, but they also show you life by example.
I was very inspired by Bill’s blog post on his dad which he recently posted.
You realize, from a Dad’s perspective you are his son, who is more than capable of either doing what he did better but also showing him the path from the mistakes and triumphs he has mad in his life.
If I were to define in one word, what my Dad has always tried to inculcate into me, it has to be without doubt – Discipline.
Discipline I guess has been one of the core values of my Dad. The ability take each day in a methodical fashion, to accomplish everything that is on his plate, to carry in his shoulders the responsibility of the entire family. And if you want to really do all that – you need to be disciplined.
I have been your typical teenager, irresponsible and oblivious to all to the value of things that surround you. As young adults, you take things for granted, because your parents have protected you from what might have been otherwise the “real world”. Its only as you grow up that you realize these and you respect your parents even more.
Talking about discipline, the first thing I have to say that really inspired me till date has been the planning and time management my dad has always had. I have never seen him get late for a single occasion. Be it going to work, or to a friends dinner party, he has always been on time. Something that I have struggled with. And now when I look back, I see how important time is and being punctual is got to be taken seriously.
And the second aspect is planning. He would wake up early, I guess around 5:00 am and go about his morning routine. By 7:oo am he would have taken bath, read his newspapers, planned for work, and even performed his morning exercise/meditation routines.
By that time, we would be up, and he will be sipping his coffee, ready to spend some quality time with family on the breakfast table. And thats it, next I see him is around 7 in the evening, back from work. Again, I have never seen him bring work back home. Well because he always has time. Now its time for his favorite shows on TV, until around 9 pm when the kids are back from playing outside and its time for dinner. Again some more quality family time. By 10:00 pm he would retire to bed, maybe reading a book sometimes.
It might seem like a simple routine, but today when I see around, I see people prioritizing one thing over the other unable to maintain the right balance. And I guess the right word here is – Balance. And yes this is something that I would love incorporate as a part of my everyday life.
For more of my ramblings, do check out my blog – TechTok.
