Work is nothing to take for granted. My career and my work is an area of my life through which I’ve experienced some of my greatest success. Since graduating from college, I’ve pretty much worked for one company, rising up through the corporate jungle. Now looking back to how I was able to do this, I always refer to lessons I learned working with my dad.

More than the knowledge of HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) or home maintenance in general, I’m convinced there was something else my dad wanted to teach me. Something about work ethic and respecting others, physical labor and sweat, and making sacrifices for the people you love. This is a man who started working at the Wheaton College cafeteria as a dish washer making $2.25/hr in the 80s. From there he’s worked various valet jobs, been a taxi driver and many years later he achieved his Associate’s Degree in HVACR.

He now runs his own home maintenance business going up into attics with temperatures above 130 degrees, maneuvering through tight crawlspaces filled with spider webs and the occasional friendly snakes, taking naps in his car and banking on gas stations for coffee and lunch to get him through his work days.  While he’s not perfect and neither am I, it is safe to say some of my biggest lessons in life have come from working alongside him. Some of these lessons are what I hope to share with you to help you in your journey to success.

Wake Up Before the Sun Does

You’ve heard the saying, “The early bird gets the worm.” Pretty much in all cases in life this saying holds true. I’ve witnessed this in my personal life and my dad’s life. On the summers I would work with him, he would come to my mom’s house to pick me up at 6am sharp. This means he was up every day way earlier than 6am for work. This is a trait every person needs to have to be successful. Wake up before the sun does! If you work later in the day, wake up hours before you go in. Don’t make it a habit to snooze all day then rush to work to clock in.

Think about ways you can be productive and grow and apply that to your daily routine. Don’t spend all day sleeping and being lazy. Nothing gets done that way and the results of your future depend on your actions of today. The earlier you start your day the better prepared you will be for what comes. I see this happening every day at my workplace. The people who show up early are usually the most productive and successful.

It’s Not About Money

Life is not about money. As much as I am learning about finances I always keep in mind that life is not about money. I believe this is why my dad has never said anything negative about customers who’ve taken advantage of him. He really understands that true happiness is not the amount in your bank account. True happiness is the amount of love and peace you have within you. The more obsessed a person gets with money, the more that person loses sight of what is important in life. Yes, having money can make some parts of your life easier than if you didn’t have anything to fund needs for you and your family. Still, I have learned from him that as long as you take care of the needs of your family then anything else extra is just that. Remember, there are times working extra isn’t worth it.

Sometimes, Actually Many Times I Will Make Mistakes

Like I mentioned before, my dad is not perfect and neither am I. I think it’s safe to say 100% of the population on Earth right now would say the same about themselves. One of the 5 lessons I learned working with my dad was to take responsibility for the mistakes I make and learn from them. And if I don’t learn the first time, well the lesson that awaits me will be a hard one on me. Don’t let your mistakes define who you are. Rather, take your mistakes and find motivation to be better next time. Always strive to be a better version of yourself.

Never Look To Be Praised

This is a big lesson I learned from my dad, especially in the way he serves the community. Whenever there is a need for his expertise he does his best to be available without seeking any recognition. For example, when someone is in need he will go out of his way to help that person no matter what it may cost my dad. I find it amazing that he doesn’t even mention to his children what he accomplished. Instead, we have to find out from others in the community how much of a positive impact he had.

“Tomorrow’s Another Day”

This is the quote he lives by. “Tomorrow’s another day,” is his way of saying whatever you’re going through today will surely pass. The sun will shine tomorrow and if it doesn’t then you patiently wait for the day after. No matter what you never lose hope and faith in the good things to come. You can’t get bogged down by your failures and hang ups, because a brand new day eagerly awaits you.

People who get stuck in their failure and give up often don’t realize how close they are to achieving their goals. Working with my dad during the summers showed me how resilient I have to be in the professional world. I once applied to 55 jobs at my company. I landed 3 interviews and received 1 offer. Each day I would receive a rejection I remembered that the next day would be another day for me to try again.

These are just a few of the many lessons I have learned from my father. Probably, the most important lesson I’ve learned from my parents is to love my child and sacrifice all of me for my child. There are no excuses for me to ever quit. If a man in his 20s could travel all the way from Africa to the U.S. without a penny in his pocket and have his own business 30 years later, then I have no excuse.

I hope these 5 lessons I learned working with my dad inspires you as it always has for me.