My dad has taught me a lot of things over the years.

Everything from a mean cross-over dribble in basketball that’ll make a defender fall on their keister, to how to handle online banking, to how to decode and respond to a guy’s text message with just the right amount of sass and interest.

And I thought that today, on his birthday, I’d just reflect on a few of the classic lessons I’ve learned from my dad. (And perhaps a bad dad joke thrown in for good measure.)

1. Perturb to learn.

I am a notorious people pleaser. As in, to a fault. I’ll go practically to physical harm in order to make another person happy or comfortable. So advocating for myself is…well…not something that comes naturally.

But my dad has always taught me never to be afraid of putting myself out there. Work hard, and don’t be afraid…