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My son is a high school senior, and will soon be graduating and beginning a new chapter in his life. I am excited for him and nervous for him at the same time. I suppose all fathers feel the same when their child leaves home, on their own.
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He and I have been talking about his future endeavors, possible careers, and life goals he might wish to accomplish. Like so many his age, he has dreams of becoming a self-made millionaire, and I hope he can find the success he wants, as long as he does so in a way that is steeped in honesty, hard work, and integrity.
Of late, the 17-year-old son of mine has become inspired by Bill Busbice and the success that Busbice found from his hard work. Indeed, as a father, I have been sharing with my soon to be college bound student some of the practices that many successful entrepreneurs use as a part of their own daily lives.
To begin with, I hope that my son, and all my children, learn the importance of studying and working harder than everyone else. In today’s society, it seems that so many have lost work ethic. Instead, many of today’s youth feel that they are entitled to success, and entitled to free handouts in life. I want my son to know that hard work does pay off, and that rewards are earned when one puts in the effort.
Along with this, I hope my son learns that to be successful, one must surround oneself with confident and successful people. I am a firm believer that one bad apple spoils an entire barrel. I often remind my son that the people my son surrounds himself with will have a significant impact on who he is as a person, the kinds of choices he makes, the lifestyle he may lead, and the success he hopes to find.
Finally, I also try to teach my son the importance of giving back to others and putting others before him. As my wife and I have been foster parents to over fifty children from foster care, we have tried to model our lifestyles to our children by caring for children in need, and by helping others.
There are many keys to becoming successful in life, and these are just a few. I hope that my son, and all my children, find success in all they do and that they do so with honesty, with character, and with integrity.
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