My mom always tells me that in order to get what you want, you have to have a positive outlook on life and live every moment.

Her ideas about the power of positive thought are probably no surprise to anyone who has read her weekly column over the past year, but trying to put those ideas into practice is an entirely different story.

Like most people, I look up to my parents and the lessons they’ve tried to instill in us. My dad was always the more practical one. He taught me to be prepared, to work hard, to know how to do things for myself and to call him and ask for help whenever a problem was too big for me to face on my own. Because of him, I’m not afraid to use power tools, or try to tackle issues myself – but I still know that when I need help, he’ll be there without a complaint. Like when I got really, really, really stuck in my driveway a few months ago or when my furnace stopped working for no apparent reason at all.