Half the year has elapsed in the seeming blink of an eye, and with June comes a momentous day for all families: Father's Day. As this special occasion is upon us again, it is time to pause and take a look at how our fathers and father figures have made an impact in our lives.
Beyond traditionally being providers for their families, the influence fathers and father figures have on our lives is undeniable. For one, fathers are fascinating—we can always count on them to have a unique perspective on things. Their wisdom and point of view can greatly help us as we go through all the ups and downs of our lives.
In this article, we'll take a look at how our dads' wisdom helped shape our lives and the person we become—just in time for their special day. Here are some valuable life lessons our fathers have probably taught us.
1. Confidence is key to many things, but be humble
Indeed, most fathers aren't adept at expressing their emotions, but what they do best is fostering strength in their children and giving them the confidence to take the world head-on—all while staying grounded and realistic. Whether it's giving out practical advice or telling the corniest "dad jokes," fathers have their way of building up and reassuring us.
2. Value savings at a young age
Fathers imbued their kids with a sense of practicality early on, and this translated to finances. They taught us the necessary discipline to save money, from keeping our school allowances to our first paychecks. They guided us from saving spare change in our very first piggy banks to making our first investments.
Eventually, as we got older, we came to realize that if we prioritize our savings, we're bound to reap the rewards of our hard work.
3. Strive to help others
Fathers always have a thing or two to teach us about responsibility and sacrifice. As traditional providers, they are the perfect examples of putting others before themselves, working long hours away from their families to make ends meet. Through our fathers, we learned that it's never a bad thing to go out of your way to help someone who needs it.
4. Work hard
Fathers also taught us the value of hard work as soon as we could understand it. Have you ever gotten a reward after accomplishing daily chores or getting good grades in school?
Whether it was a monetary reward or a gift, we became naturally conditioned to work hard to achieve something. From an early age, our fathers did their best to plant the seeds of success by instilling dedication and diligence in us. We carry this with us as we age.
5. Invest early
Fathers helped their children look forward to their future. This didn't only mean providing for and giving them the support they need but also helping them set up their goals. Fathers gave their children vision by getting them started on financial planning.
Along with prioritizing savings, they also taught us the value of investing early. We can always reach out to our dads for financial advice, like which investment or plans for health insurance in the Philippines we should choose. Our dads told us that the earlier we start saving up for and investing in our future, the grander the reward that awaits us.
6. Every problem has a solution.
Dads are never one to back out from a challenge. For them, there's always a way out in the face of adversity—often by relying on your skills and capabilities. Fathers taught us how to look at problems from different perspectives. If they weren't solved in one way, there could still be a thousand other solutions.
7. Never stop growing and learning
Even in their advanced years, fathers never stopped trying new things, whether it's a new hobby or a new skill. We can learn a thing or two about self-improvement from them: that growth is a lifelong process.
8. Make your family your life's core
Fathers make their families the focus of their whole lives. They taught us to value family above all else—that, in the end, this is what all the sacrifice and hard work are for. This is a lesson we'll hold dear and come to truly understand once we have our own children or start caring for our parents in their old age.
9. Aim for financial independence
Fathers also try to teach us from a young age that we need to stand our own two feet. When it comes to finances, this means earning enough on our own merit. It also means introducing us to budgeting and teaching us the value of self-control by avoiding debt.
Make Your Papa Proud
Our fathers always expect the best of us—not just to give us some tough love, but because they know exactly what we can be. While this probably comes with some pressure and conflict while growing up, we owe part of who we are now to our dads. So, this Father's Day, reach out to your father and appreciate him. Your best self is thanks to all these life lessons he taught you.
Show your appreciation and gratitude to your father this year by taking that extra step to safeguard their health and wellness. BPI AIA offers a wide array of health insurance plans that will surely fit your father's lifestyle. Schedule a virtual appointment with our agent today.
