Advice from a Dad to his Son

I was at the airport this morning, laptop out, airpods in. A father and son sat down at the table next to mine to eat breakfast. The dad was dropping some old man wisdom to his son and I couldn’t help but turn off noise cancellation on my AirPods and listen in. These are a few of my takeaways:

• How to act when you meet someone famous. Treat them like a human, not an idol. Tell them that you appreciate them and that their work has affected you.
• You don’t have to live a great life to live a good life. Being famous is overrated.
• Get into a little trouble when you’re young. They make the best stories.
• When you use your phone you’re just watching other people live. Put the phone down and live your own life too.
• The son said to his dad, “I like how you don’t get offended when I call you old.” The Dad responded that his own dad gets offended when you call him old. His identity was wrapped up in being strong, attractive and independent. However, as he got older, his strength was reduced, his looks faded and he could no longer do everything by himself. Without these qualities, he feels lost as he didn’t cultivate other elements of his identity.
• If you’re going to work hard in life, you might as well work hard on something you enjoy.