Bits of Advice 4

  Here are the final bits of advice that I received from my young friend, I hope some of them you found useful and I also hope that you found some of the strange, or funny and finally I hope that before you take any bits of advice you follow number 23 on this post.

1.               Take note if you find yourself wondering “Where is my good knife? Or, where is my good pen?” That means you have bad ones. Get rid of those.

2.               When you are stuck, explain your problem to others. Often simply laying out a problem will present a solution. Make “explaining the problem” part of your troubleshooting process.

3.               When buying a garden hose, an extension cord, or a ladder, get one substantially longer than you think you need. It’ll be the right size.

4.               Don’t bother fighting the old; just build the new.

5.               Your group can achieve great things way beyond your means simply by showing people that they are appreciated.

6.               When someone tells you about the peak year of human history, the period of time when things were good before things went downhill, it will always be the years of when they were 10 years old — which is the peak of any human’s existence.

7.               You are as big as the things that make you angry.

8.               When speaking to an audience it’s better to fix your gaze on a few people than to “spray” your gaze across the room. Your eyes telegraph to others whether you really believe what you are saying.

9.               Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don’t focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.

10.          When negotiating, don’t aim for a bigger piece of the pie; aim to create a bigger pie.

11.          If you repeated what you did today 365 more times will you be where you want to be next year?

12.          You see only 2% of another person, and they see only 2% of you. Attune yourselves to the hidden 98%.

13.          Your time and space are limited. Remove, give away, and throw out things in your life that don’t spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.

14.          Our descendants will achieve things that will amaze us, yet a portion of what they will create could have been made with today’s materials and tools if we had had the imagination. Think bigger.

15.          For a great payoff be especially curious about the things you are not interested in.

16.          Focus on directions rather than destinations. Who knows their destiny? But maintain the right direction and you’ll arrive at where you want to go.

17.          Every breakthrough is at first laughable and ridiculous. In fact, if it did not start out laughable and ridiculous, it is not a breakthrough.

18.          If you loan someone $20 and you never see them again because they are avoiding paying you back, that makes it worth $20.

19.          Copying others is a good way to start. Copying yourself is a disappointing way to end.

20.          The best time to negotiate your salary for a new job is the moment AFTER they say they want you, and not before. Then it becomes a game of chicken for each side to name an amount first, but it is to your advantage to get them to give a number before you do.

21.          Rather than steering your life to avoid surprises, aim directly for them.

22.          Don’t purchase extra insurance if you are renting a car with a credit card.

23.          If your opinions on one subject can be predicted from your opinions on another, you may be in the grip of an ideology. When you truly think for yourself, your conclusions will not be predictable.

24.          Aim to die broke. Give to your beneficiaries before you die; it’s more fun and useful. Spend it all. Your last check should go to the funeral home, and it should bounce.

25.          The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.