My dad got his start in business sweeping up at nights for a remote office of a big company.  He had struggled in college, yet over the course of 20 years he worked his way up to be the president of another company.  He also went back to college while raising two young kids.  When I graduated from college, my dad typed up a list of a hundred random thoughts that he wish his father told him - I still have the entire list and hope to add to and pass it on to my sons when they hit the same milestone.  Here are 20 of the best tips, ranging from motivational to practical to funny.

20.  Be on time for work.  Show up a little early and stay a little late.
19.  Listen to your spouse.  It’s one thing to just hear her, it’s another thing to really listen.
18.  Always have a needle and thread in your travel kit.
17.  Be careful who you confide in.
16.  Get to know your wines.
15.  Never accept “I’m sorry, we can’t do that” from any retailer.
14.  Don’t be afraid to fight for something if you believe in it and know you’re right.
13.  You can make friends and enemies simply by leaving someone off a “cc” list.
12.  Always keep building your network.
11.  Remember your parents get smarter as you get older.
10.  Success is 20% knowledge, 40% ability and 40% motivation.
9.  Use your parents as sounding boards.
8.  Never go food shopping when you’re hungry.
7.  Get involved in a charity you believe in.
6.  Stay out of the office gossip line. Don’t spread rumors.  If you hear that somebody spread a rumor about you call them on it.  They’ll never open their mouth again.
5.  Call your parents once in awhile.
4.  You can always steam out the wrinkles in a suit leaving it in the bathroom of your hotel room with the shower on hot.
3.  When invited to somebody’s house for dinner take them a bottle of wine.
2.  Never put anything in writing that you wouldn’t be willing to have the whole world read.
1.  Never be satisfied with a goal you set yesterday.

What do you wish your dad told you?

Photo credit: ginable via Flickr

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