A lot of people say I resemble my Dad.

We couldn’t be more different.

My Dad is the youngest son and 6th child out of 7 in his family.

I’m the firstborn in our family.

He had to share scraps of food because his family was poor.

I always had ample food on the table.

He learned how to do construction by himself and spent many hours doing physically laborious work.

Aside from helping my Dad do his work, I never had to physically stress myself for work.

My Dad says that he wants the best for me, but the way he preaches how to get there is very traditional.

Work hard, save money, and slowly accumulate wealth until you retire.

I, on the other hand, see things the other way.

Work smart, make money, and look to build an empire now so I can live my life how I want while I’m young.

Despite all my efforts to better myself and my opportunities, it’s never enough for him because I didn’t do what he wanted.

I got “too big and muscular.”

You hate working for other people? Double down and work even harder for them.

Forget the side hustles and become a drafter because he knows how much you can get paid for blueprints even though I have 0 experience and interest in this field.

I can never have a serious discussion about my future with him because he will always bring up his points and stick to them.

Part of the reason why I’m able to be so open about my experiences is because I know there’s people out there that understand me.

While he and I can’t see eye to eye.

Still, regardless of whether or not he respects the decisions I make for myself…

He’s my Dad, and he was and still is here for me.

I’ve known people who’ve lost their fathers and I would be mentally devastated if he left us without being able to show him what I can achieve.

When it comes to Chinese culture, dinner is a vital aspect of life since that’s when the family comes together over a shared purpose.

It’s also used as a means of celebration, and being able to eat with someone as an esteemed guest is a high honor.

I’ve always envisioned that when I get to that point where I’ve “made it”, then I will have that celebratory dinner.

And my Dad will be the first one to get a seat at my table.