Lessons from Father

Over a period of time, I learnt many soulful lessons from my father. It does not sound like being a patriarch but some lessons were hard to learn. 1) Learn to say no. Being assertive was the first lesson I was taught. Keeping strong boundaries was important from a young age. 2) Always stand for yourself. Never settle for less and know your self worth. You deserve all the good things in life. Do not settle for something because you have societal pressure. 3) Check your gut feeling. You can simply know in ten minutes if an office friend or collegue is only passing time with you. If that is so, stay away and do not fall for it. At the end of it, you will only feel worthless. 4) Be careful while choosing people around you. At college or institutes, where coeducation is common, maintain a friendly but ethical distance with male collegues. Same applies with male teachers too. 5) Stand on your own two feet and do not expect a prince charming to come on a horse and offer you marriage. Build your own empire. 6) Education is your first priority. No matter if you get a prince charming or not, you must complete your education. And keep learning new things every day. 7) Learn self defense and how to protect your self. This includes strength training and martial arts. Do not be a damsel in distress. Life does not end with one bad relationship. Keep fighting till end. Your voice matters and do not let anyone disrespect you. 8) Do not let any one take you for granted. Stay silent where words are not needed. Deal with pressure calmly. No one should take your softness as weakness. 9) Do not let anyone play games with you or exploit you. If some man around you is serious, ask him to involve parents and proceed ethically. 10) Stick to your life goals. Create a new goal when one goal ends. Choose your path wisely. Learn to rise after failure. Build a strong connection with God.