Last post for ‘Life’s Little Instruction Book Pt. III’
- Leave everything a little better than you found it.
- Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
- Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.
- Use your wit to amuse, not to abuse.
- Choose your life’s mate carefully. From this one decision will come ninety percent of all your happiness or misery.
- Be suspicious of all politicians.
- Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
- When talking to the press, remember they always have the last word.
- Never buy something you don’t need just because it’s on sale.
- Remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years.
- Just to see how it feels, for the next twenty-four hours refrain from criticizing anybody or anything.
- Take care of your reputation. It’s your most valuable asset
- Every person that you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.
- Remember that a successful marriage depends on two things: (1) finding the right person and (2) being the right person.
- Tape record your parents’ laughter
- Don’t insist on running someone else’s life.
- Watch for big problems. They disguise big opportunities.
- Never miss an opportunity to sleep on a screened-in porch.
- Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
- Never wash a car, mow a yard, or select a Christmas tree after dark.
- Buy a used car with the same caution a naked man uses to climb a barbed-wire fence.
- Introduce yourself to someone you would like to meet by smiling and saying, “My name is Derp/Derpina. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you.”
- Get organized. Know where you are headed. But if something wonderful and unexpected comes along, be flexible enough to follow it.
- Never type a love letter. Use a fountain pen.
- When working with contractors, include a penalty clause in your contract for their not finishing on time.
- Perform your job better than anyone else can. That’s the best job security I know.
- Call your dad. And your mother.
By H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
