10 Lessons I Learned from My Dad

When a podcast host devotes an episode to his father, it’s not a detour from real estate—it’s the origin story behind how he serves people, works, and thinks. In this Selling Greenville episode, he shares ten values his dad modeled over decades as a small-church pastor and chaplain—values that shaped a son who now guides buyers and sellers across the Upstate. The stories span long hospital corridors, New Jersey snowstorms, bagel-counter conversations, and even coffee runs to McDonald’s. They add up to a single throughline: character compounds.

Practical Life Lessons from My Dad

Lessons I learned. It captures the heart of the episode: not theory, not business jargon—just the habits a father lived every day that still ripple through his son’s work and life. These are the Lessons I learned that

Why the Lessons I learned Matter to Real Estate (and Everything Else)

Real estate is a service business disguised as a numbers game. Deals close because people are heard. Problems get solved because someone runs, not walks. Negotiations go better when contentment keeps a head clear. Long careers are built on frugality, discipline, and the conviction that the next right door exists. That’s why the lessons I learned belong in a real estate podcast feed at all.

1) Work as hard as you can, as long as you can

The host’s father wasn’t a business mogul; he pastored a small New Jersey church and cycled through chaplain roles—hospital, hospice, nursing home, even a minor league baseball team. At one point, he juggled three (maybe four) jobs, “off” one day a week in theory, on call in reality. The pay was modest; the effort was not. What stuck wasn’t money, but the daily example: if you commit, you give 100%. If you can’t, you don’t commit. That ethic seeded a son who throws himself into everything from research-heavy market updates to late-night client care.

2) Talk to people (and actually listen)

He was the kind of person who struck up conversations at gas pumps and fast-food counters with no agenda. Not a sales pitch. Not a sermon. Just curiosity. The story that lingers: a long chat with the owner of Jersey Bagel Brothers on North Pleasantburg—ending with a free bagel, sure, but more importantly, a human moment both people would remember. His default setting wasn’t “tell”; it was “ask.” The lesson: people over possessions, stories over small talk.

3) Treat your network like it is your net worth

There’s the popular business line—“your network is your net worth”—and then there’s the way his dad lived it. He never chased contacts to extract value. He invested in people because they were valuable. And value flowed back without being asked: jobs surfaced, TV opportunities appeared, event tickets materialized, housing leads popped up, and eventually even a wheelchair van came through his church. He didn’t hustle favors; he showed up for people. When the time came, they showed up for him.

4) Run, don’t walk

Pastoring isn’t glamorous, but you’d never know it from the way he moved. In a four-level church building, the sound of his feet running the stairs was as regular as the bell. At home, a big play during a game sent him springing up during commercials to grab a snack with a hop step. No emergency—just energy. He carried himself like life was full today, not waiting for the weekend or the next vacation. Purpose is kinetic.

5) Contentment isn’t always easy—but it’s always available

He wore his emotions on his sleeve and still rarely complained. Multiple sclerosis slowly took away his mobility. Later, melanoma took his life. In between were decades of hard transitions: from nonstop motion to sitting, from sitting to a hospital bed. His refrain—“it is what it is”—wasn’t resignation; it was acceptance. He found ways to be present and useful where he was. Contentment didn’t mean complacency; it meant refusing to let circumstances steal gratitude.

6) “A penny saved is a penny earned”

Frugality wasn’t theoretical in a three-child New Jersey household on a small-church salary. He taught comparison shopping by unit price in the grocery aisle. He walked through the future cost of college, challenged each child to contribute, and modeled steady saving. The result? Three kids through private high school and then four-year colleges—debt-free. No lottery ticket, no magical investment—just the quiet math of living under your means for a very long time.

7) Each season of life has its own beauty

He served in multiple states and roles—pastor and chaplain, healthy and unwell. Some seasons were obviously sweeter than others. All of them, he insisted, had meaning. Over the past few years, people who knew him in different decades have resurfaced with memories of how he helped, what he said, and where he showed up. The common thread wasn’t the setting. It was the posture: look for what’s full in front of you, and you’ll find it—even when the surface looks hard.

8) Discipline is the backbone of success

He wasn’t chasing “best speaker” awards or trying to impress anyone with prose. What he had was a rock-solid routine—work hours, study hours, pastoral visits—kept with near-religious precision. As the host puts it, discipline compensates for a lot of perceived shortcomings. In business terms, it’s quite a competitive advantage. When you’re reliable, your ceiling rises.

9) When a door closes, look for the open one (it’s there)

One opportunity ended; another appeared. Over and over. He didn’t whiteboard networking targets or gamify introductions. He simply made himself available and helpful. The pattern became almost predictable: show up, serve, stay ready—and doors open. From a chaplain position with a baseball team to new places to live, the opportunities looked like “luck” to outsiders and like “preparation meets opportunity” to those who knew him.

10) Enjoy a cup of coffee each day

Even in the hospital, he wanted one thing: McDonald’s coffee. That’s not a tasting note; it’s a philosophy. Find a simple daily pleasure—accessible, affordable, repeatable—and guard it. Life will crowd with urgency. The calendar will swell. Enjoy something small every day anyway. It’s a habit of joy.

Why these stories matter to real estate (and everything else)

Life lessons I learned from my dad: The episode isn’t an aside from housing—it’s the “why” behind the way the host works. Real estate is a service business disguised as a numbers game. Deals close because people are heard. Problems get solved because someone runs, not walks. Negotiations go better when you’re content enough to be clear-eyed. And yes, long careers are built on frugality, discipline, and the conviction that the next right door does exist.

It’s also why practical life lessons from my dad belong in a real estate podcast feed at all. The best market insights don’t mean much if the person delivering them doesn’t have a steady hand, a listening ear, and the stamina to keep showing up.

A father’s imprint, in moments

• Snow shovels and stubbornness: In Dover, New Jersey winters, he’d dig out the church after blizzards—sometimes with his son, sometimes with a few men who showed up because they knew he’d be there either way.

• Bagel-counter kindness: A long talk at a neighborhood shop turns into free food—but more importantly, a reminder that most people want to be seen.

• Machine-like routine: Pickups after teen shifts occasionally bent the schedule (basketball hoop out back!), but the schedule held. Faithful doesn’t mean joyless; it means dependable.

• Coffee as ritual: In tough months at the hospital, a simple request was repeated: bring the McDonald’s coffee. It’s not about gourmet; it’s about something to look forward to.

None of this is complicated. All of it is hard. And that’s the point.

Watch Or Listen To The Selling Greenville Podcast

Subscribe to the Selling Greenville podcast for real-time insights, bold perspectives, and unfiltered takes on the Upstate housing scene. Whether you’re buying, selling, or simply watching the market unfold, this is where Greenville goes to stay informed.

Bottom Line

The episode is a tribute, but it’s also a toolkit. Ten principles—work hard, talk to people, invest in relationships, move with purpose, practice contentment, live frugally, savor each season, keep discipline, watch for open doors, and protect small joys—are more than memories. They’re operating systems. In real estate and in the rest of life, character is strategy. And practical life lessons from my dad might be the most valuable asset a professional ever carries to the closing table.

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville