This is my father, Richard Siemers, practicing the long-held family ritual of driving our youngsters around on his tractor at the family home in Minnesota. This shot is from November 2009, and the youngster is my then 3-year-old son, Quinn. 
I usually blanche at the use of overly positive bromides. I'm immune to the effects of self-help books, motivational posters and most varieties of pep talk. 
Some of that you could attribute to the kind of cynicism inherent in most journalists. But I like to think it's because I've already taken to heart a lifetime's worth of lessons from one of the most positive people I know — my father.
One (of several) things I've taken away from my dad over the years is this simple mantra: &quot;It never hurts to try.&quot; It's not exactly a credo embroidered upon the family crest. And frankly, it's not advice that works universally — there are certainly things someone can try that, in fact, hurt very much. Yet it's the broader message that sticks. 
What my dad taught me was a formula for creativity and innovation: Don't be afraid to be different, to test something new, to expand your horizons. You can say it a million different ways, but the message stays the same.
A person's only as creative as their ambition allows them to be.
What my dad taught me was how to act on that ambition, and I'm a lucky man for it. Happy father's day, Dad. - Erik Siemers, managing editor