Father’s Day brings its memories and reflections, the legacies of our dads reveal themselves in how we live their lessons. How we walk their talk.
My dad was an immigrant running a bar and restaurant business. Long before “Flip This House” was on television he was flipping spots in New York City to support us. It was harder than just renovation…you had to fix it up and then get the business going and show it would generate a profit before someone would buy it. His HR policy was that he’d prefer to procreate his help instead of hire it, meaning my 3 brothers and I were all on the roster at Boles Bar.
He never served in the military, didn’t go to college, made one speech in his life and the farthest south he ever traveled was to Kentucky to see me get promoted. But the lessons he showed me, the standards he held us to still remain.
“Do the work…It’s your work…Do it well”
In today’s social media age, it’s hard to grasp that my dad didn’t indulge in what he would classify as “distractions.” He read the newspaper on the train, watched Walter Cronkite for TV news, listened to his Irish radio stations for entertainment and worked. He considered himself blessed to have work he could do well and provide for his family. He felt your reputation was not what you said but by how you did your work. Over the years as I’ve had many tasks, I’ve heard my dad’s voice as I swept and mopped multiple floors on multiple early mornings, “Get the corners, Vin. Don’t miss a spot. Make it nice.” And I did. It mattered! He would brag to customers, “See that floor? Vin did that floor!” Knowing I had done a task to his standard set a positive pace for the day.
Don’t let social media distract you from work that matters…stay focused, do it well and you’ll never regret it.