Photo: pixabay
My dad made it clear—life is what you make it. You can choose to be a victim of your own circumstance and complain, or you can take life and make it worth living.
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“I rented a U-haul. I have to get out of here tonight.”
My dad, my hero, was silent on the other end of the phone. He didn’t know what to say and I could hear his heart breaking.
His little girl was in trouble and asking for help.
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Growing up, my Dad worked long hours on the night shift at a local vehicle assembly plant, but he always made time for us kids whenever he could.
Fifteen minutes here or there during the school year. And during the summer, we got to spend hours around the kitchen table with him while he ate lunch and prepared for his work day.
He’d put his iced tea in the same tall, slender container with a red lid, wrap it in a bandana to keep the condensation from getting on anything else in the box, and pack in inside a small red and white playmate cooler with vehicle emblem stickers strategically placed on the sides.
Looking back now, it’s no wonder that my expertise is in organization and systems after watching this man be proactive in pretty much every step of his day.
My dad made sure we KNEW we were important to him. Every weekend we would go out as a family, go camping, or go on some sort of adventure.
There was nothing more important than family to him.
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Not long after my S.O.S. call, my dad showed up with the truck, packing materials, and about every strong male relative I had. We packed into the wee hours of the night as I paced around the house inconsolable and practically out of it.
I never thought I’d be the woman who found herself in love with a man who abused her. And telling my dad what was going on behind closed doors was one of the hardest parts for me. He warned me about the relationship and considering my dad’s a man of few words, I should’ve known to listen. But young love can make you deaf to even the most powerful advice.
I’ve always been the rebellious one in my household. The one who skipped school, snuck around with boys, and drove her car to Indiana without telling anyone expect her best friend. How I didn’t give my parents a heart attack, I don’t know. But my Dad never questioned it. He was strict but he let me be me—always.
As a little girl, I wanted to play in the mud, watch wrestling, and talk about trucks. Then I wanted to play with Barbies, play dress-up in my mom’s clothes, and paint my nails. My dad always supported me deciding exactly who I wanted to be, and let me run with it.
He let me figure it out. He guided me, loved me, and let me go out and experience life.
And whenever my stubborn “I can do it myself” ass got into a pickle, I could count on my dad to help me find my way back to myself.
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Back at the house I was fleeing, he led the crew, he got all of my things packed up and handled. It was done.
I spent the next six months living in the bedroom across the hall from my parents. Waking up every morning, listening to “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans on repeat while I got up the nerve to leave for work. I can only imagine how crazy I looked, but he never said a word.
My dad has this way of standing in a room and making you feel completely comfortable, making you feel like it’s all going to be okay. With him by my side, I knew it would be.
And it was. Life is completely different now.
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I went from a little girl running around playing in the mud, to a crazy teenager breaking all of the rules, to a woman who has built a six-figure business all by herself.
My dad taught me everything I needed to know to be successful in life (and business). He’s a hard worker. He rarely gets upset or raises his voice. He doesn’t pay any attention to the status quo or what other people think about him. He just does what he needs to do every day to live to the fullest, take care of his family, and enjoy life on his terms.
My parents built the foundation I needed. They instilled so many values and principles on what it means to be a good, productive human being that it helped mold me into a bad-ass female entrepreneur who is making a difference and showing up as a leader in today’s online space.
My dad made it clear—life is what you make it. You can choose to be a victim of your own circumstance and complain, or you can take life and make it worth living. That is exactly what Jay Thurber does every day, and I aspire to follow in those footsteps.
This post originally appeared at the Good Men Project.
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About the Author: After 8 years dominating the automotive repair industry, Jamie took the operations and management skills she had perfected and started using them to help Entrepreneurs and driven individuals be higher performers and start living their life intentionally. She is a Performance Coach who helps people who want more out of life by creating the mindset and strategic foundation needed to run their business and life the way they want it. She helps them create lasting processes and personal habits to move from chaotic and busy to productive and focused.
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