Lessons from MY Parents

I have been reading The Trump Card by Ivanka Trump.  In it, she relays completely practical business and career advice as if she is talking to a friend… and gives an intimate view of what she learned from her parents (and how).  The book is an incredible read, but it got me thinking.

I ALSO learned gobs from my parents.  They are driven, successful, and firmly grounded in reality.  They are supportive, encouraging, and instilled in me a confidence far beyond my actual abilities!  =) They have a love story to learn so much from… and were committed to family above all else.  The success truths I have gleaned from them need to be shared… So, I started asking myself, “Why wait until I have a name like “TRUMP” to share my own TRUMP CARD?”  

So from now on, I will be sharing- periodically- truths I’ve learned from my own parents.  The first one is in this post and includes a quote I heard my Dad say so often.  Like the Donald, my Dad is in real estate. He is a General Contractor. Like the Donald, he has built his success working (at times) around the clock.  Like the Donald, he is a wise business man and doesn’t shy away from risk.

Unlike the Donald, however, he is a one-woman man and has had eyes only for my Momma since they were 13 years old.  Unlike the Donald, he often was able to work OVER-NIGHT and this allowed him to spend much more time with us at home – at the cost of any normal sleep schedule, of course.  And unlike the Donald, he WASNT driven to school in a Rolls Royce.  Instead, he grew up on the “poor” side of working class with a single Mom  – whom he appreciates more than she probably knows.  He was a super-involved father – before Dads were expected to be more than an “income stream” at home.  If he had a nickname, it would be SuperMan and he has GOT to be one of the strongest, most determined men in the world.

Why tell you about him?  BEcause there is much to learn about success from a man who has “the Donald” mindset, yet is still so relatable to most of America.