My Father's Quest: Transforming My Habits for a 'Better' Life

DR. WALLACE: I am my father's only daughter, and I've been a high achiever in my entire life. I'm always quite busy and on the go, and I have a lot of things to do every single day.

My father stunned me the week after the school year ended by telling me that I need to develop some better habits. My retort was to reassure him that I'm in the habit of getting a lot of things done and achieving things at a high level.

His slow, deep sigh that preceded his comment spoke volumes to me. His comment simply was, "I'm not talking about your habits leading to your achievements." When I questioned him further, he simply told me to think about it and that I would figure it out on my own. However, after pondering his comments for a few days, I'm still a bit in the dark, I'm afraid. Therefore, I felt I would ask you, what do you think my father meant? — Dad Says I Need New Habits, via email

DAD SAYS I NEED NEW HABITS: It sounds to me like your father, in his own indefatigable way, is trying to subtly tell you to slow down a bit and consider sprinkling in other priorities into your busy days, weeks and months.

There are literally thousands, if not millions, of permutations for new habits an individual can develop, but I'll give you a few that may fit into the category that could potentially match your father's mindset, based upon my best guess as to his intentions for you.

Give to others without expecting anything back. Kindness matters, so be sure to treat everyone with respect. Time spent with those you love is more meaningful and valuable than accumulating things. Don't let yesterday take up too much of today and especially tomorrow.

These are just a few quick suggestions of topics that could be woven into habits, but I think you get the drift, and you are more than capable of developing your own new habits along these lines if you choose to do so.

And remember, the best way to develop a habit is to make it fun, to set aside daily and weekly time to work on these goals. Also define your specific objectives and carry out your plans with intention, and remember to stay flexible for challenges or time constraints that may hold you back. I think and hope that's enough to get you started, and based on your personality as I understand it, you can figure the rest of this out on your own!

WE WANTED DISNEY WORLD, BUT WE'RE GETTING NEW ORLEANS

DR. WALLACE: Every year we take a family vacation in the summer, and this year my brothers and I have been consistently suggesting to our parents that we go to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Our parents never confirmed that this would be our destination for certain, but they didn't rule it out or say no when we brought this up months ago.

Just now we found out that our family is going to be visiting New Orleans for a full week. Ugh! At least we are going on a full week of vacation, because some years our parents actually cut our vacation down to three or four days because they own and manage a successful restaurant in our hometown, and it's usually hard for them to get away for very long.

But my brothers and I are already worried that we're going to be bored beyond belief, because we don't know of anything interesting in that particular city. I'm sure it's fine in its own way, but what's the big deal about New Orleans? — Not Our First Choice, via email

NOT OUR FIRST CHOICE: Well, your parents do have good taste, and I mean that also as a pun given their restaurant background. But New Orleans is indeed a world-class city and a very famous tourist destination. It's the host city for Mardi Gras each year and has also been the site of many championship football games such as the Super Bowl, the national college football championship game and many other bowl games such as the Sugar Bowl.

New Orleans is also the birthplace of jazz music, and there's live music playing in small clubs in the city at all hours of the day and night. You can also take a ride on a huge riverboat down the mighty Mississippi River.

The food in New Orleans is also spectacular, and this may be part of the interest your parents have in the city. New Orleans is heavily influenced by French culture, and given its history, you'll find many delicious desserts and culinary delights of all kinds on the menus of its many restaurants. If you like seafood, some of the finest shrimp, oysters and crawfish come from the local waters of the nearby gulf.

There are many local walking tours to see some historical and quite beautiful homes, and another attraction is called the French Quarter. You'll no doubt be walking down those famous streets on your trip. New Orleans is nicknamed "the Big Easy" because it's so relaxing and enjoyable a city to spend time in. Even though you don't know much about it, I trust you and your brothers will enjoy your vacation week in New Orleans very much, so start researching it and looking forward to it!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other The News PulseSyndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the The News PulseSyndicate website at www.The News Pulse .

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