Responsibility and Fathers

Today a fellow co-worker of mine fell asleep while he was escorting some contractors doing work on some heating units. When I found out he was promptly fired for it I began thinking about where and when in life I learned responsibility, and from whom, if specifics exist. I also thought about my newfound killer instinct in business; the drive to be the top dog, crushing anyone who gets in my way. Not by making them fail, but by doing so well that the higher ups are forced to acknowledge my superiority. A bit much, I know; so I'll mostly focus on the first point.

The specific I must point out is my father. His work ethic is like few I've ever seen. He definitely teaches by example in this aspect of life. You do what is necessary, regardless of the time it takes, and what time it is. He goes to work really early, returns home to make dinner, and often returns back to work. A lesson I learned from him, and from the LDS Prophet Brigham Young, "Never ask someone to do a thing which you are not willing to do yourself." I continually do this in my life, as I set a dinner plate on the counter without even looking in the dishwasher to see if it is clean or dirty I think 'I cant tell ______ to put his dishes in the dishwasher if I wont do it myself'. And I do this quite often in my labors throughout the day.

That was a bit of a tangent but one that hopefully praised my father enough. It is his birthday tomorrow so I've been thinking a lot about him and his effect in my life. I guess my initial point I was trying to make and explore has been trasmuted into an homage to my father, but that is ok with me. At work, even strangers come up to me and ask if I'm Scott's son. It's taken a long time to accept but I look and act like my father in many fundamental ways. And that isnt a bad thing. He's a great man.


Not all my posts will take on the more serious tone but forgive a soul for praising the ones who went before him.