But my father was my hero and which I live the best moments in my life. He taught me many things, but at the top of the list, he taught me to treat people with love and respect...to live the Golden Rule. I remember one particular instance of him teaching this "life lesson" as if it were yesterday. Dad owned a furniture store, and I used to dust the furniture every Wednesday after school to earn my allowance. 

One afternoon I observed my Dad talking to all the customers as they came in...the hardware store owner, the banker, a farmer, a doctor. At the end of the day, just as Dad was closing, the garbage collector came in.

I was ready to go home, and I thought that surely Dad wouldn't spend too much time with him. But I was wrong. Dad greeted him at the door with a big hug and talked with him about his wife and son who had been in a car accident the month before. He empathized, he asked questions, he listened, and he listened some more. 

I kept looking at the clock, and when the man finally left, I asked, "Dad, why did you spend so much time with him? He's just the garbage collector." Dad then looked at me, locked the front door to the store, and said, "Son, let's talk."

He said, "I'm your father and I tell you lots of stuff as all fathers should, but if you remember nothing else I ever tell you, remember this...treat every human being just the way that you would want to be treated." He said, "I know this is not the first time you've heard it, but I want to make sure it's the first time you truly understand it, because if you had understood, you would never have said what you said." We sat there and talked for another hour about the meaning and the power of the Golden Rule and the steps to be a truely happy person. 

Dad said, "If you live the Golden Rule everything else in life will usually work itself out, but if you don't, your life probably will be very unhappy and without meaning."  I recently heard someone say, "If you teach your child the Golden Rule, you will have left them an estate of incalculable value." Truer words were never spoken.

Quotes for the day:

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."
*-- Yogi Berra 

"Fear less, hope more.  Eat less, chew more.  Whine less, breathe more.  Talk less, say more.  Love more and all good things will be yours."
*-- Swedish Proverb

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."
*-- Carl W. Buechner 

Relevant Reading: 
The Power of Attitude : ~ Mac Anderson

Articles on Motivation:

The Right to Lead

It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age......
 

The Heart of a Teacher

The child arrives like a mystery box with puzzle pieces inside some of the pieces are broken or missing and others just seem to hide.  But the HEART of a teacher can sort them out........
 

Finding Life And Being Motivated

Human life is never moving consistently. There will be times when you are happy and there are times when you are flung to the depths of sadness. At times, you may feel like the monarch of the world, and at other times.......

Get a Free Daily Email Quotes

Motivation Stuff ==> Self Development

| Site Map 1 |