FATHER'S GIFT

CONTENTS

Preface ix
Introduction xi

Part I: Tiger
Chapter 1 Tiger Arrived 1
Chapter 2 Growing Up 3

Part II : Self-Empowerment
Chapter 3 Personal Hygiene 17
Chapter 4 Character Building 21
Chapter 5 Education 64
Chapter 6 Learning 68
Chapter 7 Belief in God 82
Chapter 8 Health 91
Chapter 9 Leadership 99
Chapter 10 Public Speaking 118
Chapter 11 Politics 123

Part III : Building Wealth
Chapter 12 The Right Job 147
Chapter 13 House 156
Chapter 14 Savings and Investments 161
Chapter 15 Credit Scores 170
Chapter 16 Insurance 173

Part IV: Family
Chapter 17 Girlfriends 181
Chapter 18 Marriage 190
Chapter 19 Appreciate Your Parents 205
Chapter 20 Family Members 214
Chapter 21 End of Life 224

Part V: At Forty, Tiger Looks Back
Chapter 22 Tiger at It 231
Chapter 23 Pass It On 239

Acknowledgments 243

Preface

By the time you have finished this book, your imagination will be stretched, and seeds will be planted. You will be in a position to envision your golden years with minimal fumbles on life’s big decisions. And your anxiety level will no longer surge when you mull over the thread of challenges tied to your anchor rope and your life journey.

Father’s Gift will untwine your lifeline into the triad of self-empowerment, building wealth, and family relationships. Its story line will offer you a lens to see through during your life voyage. You will feel like you knew what was coming up and had time to plan for it. You will be able to see things instead of endlessly looking for them. You get the big decisions right; you will put order into the chaos of life. Hopefully you will hold onto the great feelings of traveling to a place you never want to forget.

You will be reminded that life is full of choices. Your decisions only take minutes to make, but their impacts could last a lifetime. If you make better choices, you can expect a better future.

You need to stay nimble to stay afloat in life. Life is not static. It is dynamic. Things around you will change, and you will change too. You do not need any extra baggage. It has a cost; it will weigh you down. Societal idiosyncrasies will be there to spar with your survival instinct, and everything is connected.

Among other points that will come alive in this book is not letting fears of life’s uncertainties deter you from taking deserved risks. Former Congressman John Lewis often said, “Make good trouble.” The only way to know is to try, right? And if not now, when? When the desirable is not available, the available becomes the desirable.

Father’s Gift will encourage you to seize the opportunities that allow you to be what you could be and should be. You own the rights to be yourself in your own game, but you can only be one person at a time—unless you have a multiple personality disorder. As you make your bed, so shall you lie on it. Let the journey begin.

Once you have decided on your why and what, fill in the blanks with your when, where, and how. Learn what is effective, be effective, and then be efficient. Activity is not an accomplishment. Make progress. No sane person cerebrates failure.

Try to finish what you start. Halfway done is still undone. Persevere. It is darkest before the dawn. Stars only show in the dark. Right actions bring right results. Being successful feels good, and once you taste it, you will never want to fail.

Father’s Gift offers you a way to break the fever of having no manual for your life journey. The help is here. Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, you now have the power to write your future and a beautiful ending—yes, with minimal regrets and do-overs.

Part I

TIGER

Jena and Johnny had three kids: Tiger, Charlie, and Eva. Part I explains the kids’ upbringing and the onset of the impactful role of the kids’ maternal grandpa, George (GG), in their lives.

CHAPTER 1

TIGER ARRIVED

Six months after Jena’s wedding, she announced to her family at the Thanksgiving Day gathering, “We are expecting a baby boy.”

Her mother, Anna, was the happiest she had ever been because she wanted to be a grandmother so badly. Jena’s father, George, was thrilled. He could not wait to teach his grandchild life’s lessons.

Jena’s brother, Monty, was very pleased his sister was about to realize her dream of becoming a mother with Johnny, the man she loved so much and married.

The feelings of Rita, Jena’s older sister, about her younger sister’s pregnancy were lukewarm at best. Rita’s only son, Hawk, was excited he would soon have a cousin.

Johnny’s sister, Viola, had taken a liking to Jena ever since she had married into their family, and they had become tight friends. Viola welcomed the news her nephew was on his way.

In some form or another, these relatives would impact the life of Jena and Johnny’s baby. In addition to the family members, other people would shape the baby’s life: schoolteachers, classmates, neighbors, friends, and public figures. The actions of people in government, sports, and entertainment would contribute to shaping who the baby would turn out to be. If the baby was lucky enough to have siblings—sisters and/or brothers—they would also be part of the equation.

Jena’s baby would not be born with silver spoon in his mouth— more like a plastic spoon. Jena and Johnny were a working family. They put their talents to work and succeeded as a two-income household.

Both husband and wife have great physical characteristics. Johnny was five foot eleven and had a muscular frame. Jena was five foot eight, and she was built like a model. Jena and Johnny believed in personal responsibility. The couple’s values were based on their belief in the Word of God, the Bible, which made sense because the quickest way to be courageous and fearless is to believe in God. They prayed their baby would be all they were and more.

Like many parents, the couple had many plans and expectations for their baby. They thought about welcoming the baby home. They thought about raising the child and the world the child would live in. They had mixed feelings, both happiness and stress, because the baby’s life journey was uncharted.

Given Jena and Johnny’s many worries about the challenges their firstborn would face on his life journey, it is hard to believe that the family welcomed their second and third children within three short years after Tiger’s birth.