There are a lot of traits that as a parent I struggle to teach my kid. But my parents taught me with ease or did I learn it from them - I'm not sure. But there are some traits that all generations of people need to shape their lives better but they fail to realise its importance.
Here are some key principles I learnt from my dad after he followed them so consistently and also advised us to do the same.
Impeccable financial planning
He was not so elaborate in spending for us nor he used to spend lavishly for himself. Yet, every dime he spent will be recorded in his diary at the end of the day. It was a practice he followed almost all his life. Even ten rupees that left his pocket as tips will have an entry in his diary. Not just that, he would also enter the amount he spent online or the cash he withdrew from ATM. That way, he could keep track of every transaction including the carry forward for the next day. It helped him plan his expenses accordingly and also gave him a lot of leverage on how he spent, where and why, if he wished to analyse his spending patterns.
Being punctual
I still got a lot to learn when it comes to being punctual but my dad followed it every day and to any event he attended. He was never late to the office or to any gathering. He would reach the spot well before time, even if he is earlier by ten minutes or half an hour depending on the occasion but he was never late. He would rather sacrifice his meal or spend some more to reach the spot, but never late.
Knowing the limit
As a young girl whenever I ask for an ice cream or a toy, he would lovingly buy me one. But when I ask for a second ice cream cone it's always a 'no'. And the good thing is he would politely deny more than what is required. There is a limit to the number of items and also the price range. We should never choose beyond the price range just because it's the trend - if we ever choose much higher than the range, we will end up disappointed because we will never get it. That kind of practice actually put us in the perfect spot to choose easily. Although we might feel missing on something we would always end up being happier with what we got. As much as our purchases were concerned, especially dresses, its only for occasions we buy and buying any time of the year is strictly prohibited, which was good in two ways - we celebrated the day when we go out for shopping and it cut down our unnecessary spending while still feeling fulfilled.
Following a pattern
He couldn't miss his daily routine for anything in this world. An hour of reading the newspaper without missing those tiny titbits at the corner, with his cup of hot ginger tea and preparing his to-do list for the day are the tasks that preceded everything else. All the other things that lined up were based on importance and urgency. But those repetitive tasks that must be done will be handled in industrial precision every time, he likes it that way.
Love for friends
He had always treated his friends with so much love and importance. His friends, peers, bosses, his assistants at the office, and even the office boy would be happy to see him after years following his retirement. He would treat each of them with such politeness and never miss caring for them however busy he is.
Being disciplined
He was a very organized person his entire life till now. Even a pin, pen or pan should rightly be in its place after every use, he would insist. His worktable will have every item one would need to finish paperwork or craft. Even buying groceries has specific days in a week and time. The clothes fold in perfect places every time he did the job and just folded clothes looked like it had been pressed. He gave importance to being perfect at anything he did and enjoyed doing what he did.
It is from him that I learnt to enjoy doing what I am doing. Particularly, when there is no enjoyment there is no meaning in doing it.
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