Do what you do well
This is just an old saying my father used so often. Most of our conversations happened in the garden where I assisted him everyday in my own small way. I guess I was about five then. I helped him remove the weeds, plant seeds and take care of plants. I was one of the luckiest children to get loads of advice from him, being the one who loved to help him and hang around him as much as I could. This wasn't really about doing though dad thought it was, it was all about being. I believe that saying holds good for life as well, we have just one life let's live it well!
Be yourself
Dad was being himself, the dad who trained his kids to live life while I was just being a child, listening to him and enjoying his company. He would often tell me as a child of five if I didn't want to do something well or complete the job I am better off not taking it up and leaving a mess behind for others to handle.
Take time to understand and appreciate
Dad took the trouble to teach me how to handle each of the garden tools. He ensured that I wouldn't hurt myself or the plants when I used them. One of the first things I learned from him was I needed to understand and appreciate what I had. This taught me to be the best me I could be in that situation.
Pay Attention to detail
Dad taught me to pay attention to details. Attention to details he would say helped save a lot of time. I always thought this wasn't a great lesson because it took way too much of my time. However, as I reached adulthood I had to pay for my mistakes and dad's words always rang in my ears. My boss once pointed to me a mistake I made, I had typed the wrong job title on an offer letter. I could have got the organization that I worked for in serious trouble with my mistake. To my luck he found the error before he signed it or would have been reprimanded by the senior management severely or perhaps it could have costed me my job. Living in the moment was the lesson I learned them but didn't understand until later.
Do it with love
Everything changes color when you do it with love. The happiness that love brings to anything shows in the final results. When you learn to find positive qualities in people and things you find ways of working through stuff. It is not even hard anymore. In fact you would go one step further and do your very best. You would make every moment worth living this way.
Have fun
I try to have fun with everything I do. Even failure seems like a joke then and doesn't hit you hard in the face. The other day I was try to sculpt a monkey with clay, the darn thing just wouldn't look like a monkey no matter what I did. I took a picture of the silly looking thing and made a meme of it alongside my face and sent it to my husband. He called me right back and we had a good little laugh about it. Failures need to be treated as such. All you need to remember is that every attempt you make is a step towards success. ( nope, I wont post that here)
I would like to end by saying life is about being, not just doing. I cannot emphasize it enough. All the doers and successful people aren't the happiest people. They are always in pursuit of happiness.
We have to do the things we need to do on a daily basis, but that isn't the end. The end is what you become after all that doing. Are you the grumpy someone no one can live with? Are you the funny guy who makes everyone laugh even as he lives through life?
Are you the one who learns from failures or gets stressed and moody with failures? Does your doing make you the guy/gal to avoid or makes you the one to spend time with?
Life is short live it to enjoy it. Be who you are meant to be.
Thank you for taking the time to read.