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Instructions for Life

Thanks to Kevin Collins for sending me this for New Year:
A Father’s Instructions for Life — (From Life’s Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown Jr.) with a slight combination of topics.

• Compliment three people each day.
• Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
• Over tip breakfast waitresses.
• Look people in the eye.
• Say “thank you” a lot and say “please” a lot.
• Live beneath your means.
• Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
• Treat everyone you meet as you want to be treated.
• Donate two pints of blood every year.
• Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
• Keep secrets.
• Don’t waste time learning the “tricks of the trade,” instead learn the trade.
• Admit your mistakes.
• Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
• Choose a charity in your community and support it generously with your time and money.
• Read the Bill of Rights.
• Use credit cards only for convenience, never for credit.
• Never cheat.
• Give yourself a year and read the Bible cover to cover.
• Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
• Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.
• Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage.
• Never take action when you’re angry.
• Have a good posture. Enter a room with purpose and confidence.
• Don’t discuss business in elevators. You never know how may overhear you.
• Never pay for work before it’s completed.
• Don’t gossip.
• Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
• When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail. If you’re going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce.
• Don’t spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly.
• Don’t expect life to be fair.
• Never underestimate the power of forgiveness.
• Instead of using the word “problem” try substituting the word “opportunity.”
• Never walk out on a quarrel with your spouse.
• Regarding furniture and clothes; if you think you’ll be using them five years or longer, buy the best you can afford.
• Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
• Street musicians are a treasure. Stop for a moment and listen; then leave a small donation.
• When faced with a serious health problem, get at least three medical opinions.
• Wage war against littering.
• After encountering inferior service, food or products, bring it to the attention of the person in charge. Good mangers will appreciate knowing.
• Don’t procrastinate. Do what needs doing when it needs to be done.
• Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on their death bed, “Gee, if I’d only spent more time at the office.”
• Don’t be afraid to say “I’m sorry.”