5 Important Lessons for Building Character

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LessonsFromDad #CollectiveBias. Here I’ll share 5 Important Lessons for Building Character that I learned from my Dad. A special tribute to honor my Dad on Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is almost here I’d like to honor my dad by sharing some valuable lessons on building character.

My father has tremendous wisdom. He explains that much of what he has learned came from his father. Before I share these important tips for building character, I’d like to explain a bit about my dad and some of the challenges he’s faced. I believe his advice on building character serves as a springboard for excellent parenting, and his words will guide my husband and I as we raise our two boys. #ParentingTips #LessonsfromDad

A Decision for Freedom

My dad grew up in Havana, Cuba. When the communist regime took over the country, my Dad’s dad made arrangements to leave Cuba and immigrate to the United States. Grandpa knew the new government would mean an end to many of his freedoms. As a small business owner in Cuba, my grandpa needed to wrap up his business before leaving the country. Concerned for his family’s safety and security, he sent his only son, my dad, to the US at the age of 16. This is a family photo of myself and my two sisters with Grandma and Grandpa.

With little knowledge of the english language. My dad stayed with family in Miami for nearly a year before his parents joined him. The communist government had seized my grandfather’s business, their home, and all their personal property. They came to the US to start over.

A New Beginning

From that new beginning, my grandfather rebuilt his life. He found work and saved money. When he finally had enough money saved up, he opened a new book store in his home in the US. His son, my father, not only learned english, he mastered engineering and made it into a prestigious engineering school in New York.

5 Important Lessons for Building Character

Be the best you can be – My dad has often spoke of his school days and how his father set high expectations for him in school. His father always stressed the importance of studying hard and striving to be #1. My father explains it was never stressful — it was the right amount of expectation for him from his father. It pushed him to be the best he could be. He studied hard and found that academics came easily to him and he eventually went on to become a professional electronics engineer. I think all too often we lower our standards because we’re afraid to expect more. My dad’s approach – and his father’s approach is not unlike “Shoot{ing} for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars*” – my father aimed high and found success. Pictured below is my eighth birthday party and my grandfather is in the background with my mom and grandmother. *Quote from Les Brown.
Seek discipline – Discipline is doing the thing you need to do even when you do not feel like doing it. Throughout his life my dad has provided a living example of self discipline. He has always lived a frugal lifestyle ensuring financial protection and safety for his family well into the future. Exercising discipline builds character. Saying no to something now enables us to say “yes” to something in the future. He acknowledges how the hardships in his life have shaped him and helped him to appreciate what he does have.
Do not give up – Both my father and grandfather overcame incredible adversity to become successful providers and protectors of their families. My grandfather was a hard working self-made businessman that dropped out of college to start his own printing business after buying a broken down printing press for $3.75. He had failed Chemistry and that failure pushed him to look for a different way to forge a future. He started printing lesson plans and books, and after working 14 years for 14 hours a day except on Sundays, my grandfather opened a successful bookstore in the heart of Havana. He ran his business successfully for 28 years before Castro took over.
Be self sufficient – My dad has four daughters. He never questioned our ability to become self-sufficient and he always encouraged us in school to tackle the tough topics. He supported our decisions to pursue advanced degrees and NEVER expected us to do less than what we were 100% capable of.
Have fun – For all his hard work my dad also knows how to let his hair down and have fun. He plays the keyboard and guitar, and once played in a band. He loves to dance and will even sing! I love his heart for music he has even entertained guests at our family gatherings.

Below my dad is pictured with my eldest son. The newest generation from our family tree.

In doing a little research for this post on building character, I learned that my dad isn’t the only one who recommends frugal living, being self-sufficient, and exercising discipline, a recent survey of dads across the nation revealed that many fathers recommend these exact same things for their families – see the graphic below.

10 Money Lessons Learned from Dad

As the financial guardian and provider for my family as a young girl, my dad exemplified many of the traits pictured here. Self-discipline in conserving resources was a part of one of the many important lessons I learned from my dad.

For even more tips on building character and even money management, you will find some great resources and articles at Protective.com. Some of the helpful articles I found include:

Budget Lessons Learned from Dad
10 Money Lessons from Dad
Five Ways Parents Can be better Providers
Management 101: Teaching Kids How to Budget
Ways To Stretch Your Family Budget
You can find all of these articles online at the Protective Learning Center

A special thanks to my dad for helping me put together this list of 5 Important Lessons for Building Character. Thank you dad for all the sacrifices you’ve made and the leadership you’ve shown. Happy Father’s Day!

What Lessons did you learn from Dad?

What nuggets of wisdom did your dad pass on to you? Please share with this online community by leaving a comment below – I love to hear from HappyandBlessedHome.com readers.

Blog / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter /Google + / Bloglovin’/ Instagram

P.S. – I blog to encourage moms, offer free preschool tools, and share ideas for family fun. If you enjoy free recipes, printables, crafts and games for little ones, ideas for family fun and encouraging posts for moms, sign up and have Happy and Blessed Home delivered to your inbox. Simply enter your e-mail address here:

If you like this post about 5 Important Lessons for building Character, you may also like: