Bits of Advice 3

  The advice continues but remember, that when being given advice, always consider the source.

1.               You can’t reason someone out of a notion that they didn’t reason themselves into.

2.               Your best job will be one that you were unqualified for because it stretches you. In fact, only apply to jobs you are unqualified for.

3.               By used books. They have the same words as the new ones. Also, libraries.

4.               You can be whatever you want, so be the person who ends meetings early.

5.               A wise man said, “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”

6.               Take the stairs.

7.               What you actually pay for something is at least twice the listed price because of the energy, time, and money needed to set it up, learn, maintain, repair, and dispose of at the end. Not all prices appear on labels. Actual costs are 2x the listed prices.

8.               When you arrive at your room in a hotel, locate the emergency exits. It only takes a minute.

9.               The only productive way to answer, “what should I do now?” is to first tackle the question of “who should I become?”

10.          Average returns sustained over an above-average period of time yield extraordinary results. Buy and hold.

11.          It’s thrilling to be extremely polite to rude strangers.

12.          It’s possible that a not-so-smart person, who can communicate well, can do much better than a super-smart person who can’t communicate well. That is good news because it is much easier to improve your communication skills than your intelligence.

13.          Getting cheated occasionally is the small price for trusting the best of everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they generally treat you best.

14.          Art is whatever you can get away with.

15.          For the best results with your children, spend only half the money you think you should, but double the time with them.

16.          Purchase the most recent tourist guidebook for your hometown or region. You’ll learn a lot by playing the tourist once a year.

17.          Don’t wait in line to eat something famous. It is rarely worth the wait.

18.          To rapidly reveal the true character of a person you just met, move them onto an abysmally slow internet connection. Observe.

19.          Prescription for popular success: do something strange. Make a habit of your weird.

20.          Be a pro. Back up your backup. Have at least one physical backup and one backup in the cloud. Have more than one of each. How much would you pay to retrieve all your data, photos, and notes, if you lost them? Backups are cheap compared to regrets.

21.          Don’t believe everything you think you believe.

22.          To signal an emergency, use the rule of three; 3 shouts, 3 horn blasts, or 3 whistles.

23.          At a restaurant do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? Do you make what you know will sell or try something new? Do you keep dating new folks or try to commit to someone you already met? The optimal balance for exploring new things vs exploiting them once found is 1/3. Spend 1/3 of your time on exploring and 2/3 time on deepening. It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1/3.

24.          Actual great opportunities do not have “Great Opportunities” in the subject line.

25.          When introduced to someone make eye contact and count to 4. You’ll both remember each other.