Dad

"My son, in the next 8 months it will not be possible, I have many work commitments already signed" with that short phrase my father shattered the illusion that we had to find the best dates for him to travel to visit us in the coming months.

At the same time than I felt a little disappointed by his words, I was very excited, proud and amazed with those work commitments mainly because he is already 81 years old.

Thinking that my father, in the last years, has had so many professional opportunities fills me with joy and admiration for him because he has managed to constantly renew himself to remain updated and relevant in specific engineering tasks within a market segment that is highly competitive.

His vitality, mobility and mental acuity isn’t of a person of his age. Probably the main reasons to be so vital and be an example to follow are the fact of being a person who exudes joy, who enjoys every moment of life and who is always updating professionally.

His integrity, honesty and the importance that he gives to family life have been his main standards and the principles for which he fights.

his capability to "unlearn" something to learn new things

My father is not a leader that moves masses, I would say that his motivation has been to do things well, with passion and total dedication. And that makes him a loved person, respected and admired by family, friends, colleagues and employees who worked, and work, with him.

In the last 40 years I have seen him working in diverse areas of engineering, moving frequently in search of a job that gives meaning to his vital existence at every moment, just as a millennial does today in the 21st century.

He has not won them all, but even when he had severe financial problems, his joy and his positive attitude brought him afloat in a new environment to which he adapted without problems.

In my opinion, he does not know the fear of failure, nor does technology scare him. He is self-taught, he learned by himself several programs including AutoCAD; advanced to his contemporaries, he even opened a LinkedIn profile before I did; and very creative when looking for solutions to complex situations, in the best McGyver style.

Undoubtedly one of the most important attitudes that in recent years has consolidated my father to be professionally active at age 81, is his capability to "unlearn" something to learn new things.

Basically, this is to leave outdated ways of doing something and give space to innovation and openness to new ways of acting and face today´s realities, bringing his life experience and, at the same time, to be open to explore.

Dad is an example of simplicity, of a happy human being, of not giving up, of renewing oneself, of innovation, of being creative. He definitely sets the bar high!