It was fathers’ day in Australia yesterday, but for me it was also a day to honour the men in my life who’ve influenced me in some way. I wanted to take this moment to say that I’m proud of the men closest to me for many reasons, especially for their big hearts and strong minds. I have always admired the strength, intelligence, drive, and mindsets of many of the men around me and wouldn’t do without the way they’ve influenced my own thinking and perspective. So with that, here are the Top 5 Things Men Have Taught Me.

1. Don’t take things too seriously. Be serious when you need to be, but remember to laugh – especially at yourself. In my experience, men have been the ones who joke the most and are always happy to be silly. I love that.

2. Don’t give up before you’ve tried harder to master what you can’t yet do. Something I’ve noticed about some people is that they give up when they think they cannot do something. I have been like that in the past, but I remember men consistently telling me to keep going. Why complain if you’re not going to try again? Try again.

3. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. I think this is mostly self-explanatory. I have always wanted to be one of the boys – because I often feel they get to do the fun stuff – and they taught me to go for it.

4. Come back down to earth before you lose your head in the clouds. That might sound controversial, but men have been the main ones in my life to remind me to ground myself and remember the bigger picture.

5. Your value is not solely determined by your appearance. Learn who you are and be who you are, beyond your looks. Challenge your mind and keep improving yourself and growing your abilities. Humans are incredibly visual creatures, so it’s only too common for both men, women, and others to focus on appearances and to be guided by what they see. However, there’s more to a person than the first layer. Yep, I believe people are like onions.

So cheers to all the men out there, fathers or not! So many of you deserve to have pride in who you are and what you do. I hope you’re having a brilliant life with your families, children, partners, and friends.

And a big cheers to the leading men in my life, including my beautiful Pa, father, brother, my gorgeous partner, and friends. You’re so very loved. And it’d be wrong to not say thanks to my mum for helping me with these lessons too ;).
Happy Fathers’ Day!