The Basic Rules of Life - FINAL TIPS

Some Final Tips:

Get (or watch) a dog; they can teach you faithfulness and how to enjoy the fun aspects of life.

Get (or watch) a cat; they can teach you subtlety and how to enjoy the pleasurable aspects of life.

Travel; learn everything you can about other cultures, ways of living and faraway places. You will soon learn that the farmer in a small village in India has the basic wants, needs and questions as you do.

Memorize a poem or two; that way you have to read a few before picking one out. Poetry may be difficult to understand sometimes, but it’s worth the effort.

Learn a skill outside of your chosen profession; there is a confidence in being able to say, “well, if this doesn’t work out I can always build houses again.”

Watch a play, at least once a year; the only thing better than reading a play is watching it performed live.

Go to a museum, any museum now and again.

Call old friends once in a while, but don’t bug them. They’ve got their own lives now, too.

Fall in love. Get your heart broken. Fall in love all over again.

Learn to cook. Learn to clean. Learn to sort laundry and iron your shirts.

Take a hike. Watch a sunset. Watch the sunrise. Do this alone and then with someone else.

Pay your bills on time. Buy on credit as little as possible.

Pick up your own trash and don’t litter.

Grow something in a garden.

Learn to write letters. Write them and send them. This is becoming a lost art.

Learn to draw or paint or sculpt of otherwise engage in some sort of arts or crafts.

Appreciate your parents. They’re humans too. Learn what you can while they are still here. Remember, life is short and while they may oft time infuriate you, walk in their shoes for a while. You could learn a great deal.

Start saving money now. Sock it away and leave it the hell alone.

Be generous with your money. Take care of your own needs and then help as many people as possible with what you have left.

Over-tip breakfast waitresses. They work harder and faster than any other mealtime but the meals cost less.

Stay active, but learn to relax. Balance is the key to this.

Do the right thing. Always.

The Basic Rules of Life - PART FOUR

The Rules - Part 4


Moderation in all things.
Too much of anything is not good for you. Life is a balancing act and success in life is finding that balance. A glass of wine with dinner, each day is not going to hurt you and in fact may be good for you. Three glasses of wine is probably over doing it. One cheeseburger a week won’t kill you. One a day will cut off your life a little sooner than you’d like. Too much exercise, too much fiber, too many vitamins, too much work, too much sleep, too much of anything probably means you’ve got a problem. Step back, examine the imbalance and adjust.

Moderation in all things, but have passions.
If there is something that you really enjoy, then forget all you have been told about being moderate. Immerse yourself in that thing with open and loud passion.

Shut up and listen.
You can’t learn anything by talking all the time. Listen to the experiences of the old and the guileless observations of the young. And if you are alone, quiet your mind and just listen to the wind. There are things to be learned there as well.

Be patient, kind and helpful…
…to the young, ill and aged. For at some point in your life you will be all three.

Smell a tree and remember it.
Appreciate nature and notice it whenever you can. Nature is not always pretty, but it is always true. Even if you don’t learn a single cosmic truth from nature, its just good for you to get outside once in a while. Watch at least one sunset a week. Learn the name of at least 5 birds and their songs. Press a flower in a phone book and then look at it. Look for animal tracks near streams. Remember the smell of trees and rain. A more intoxicating perfume has yet to be manufactured by anyone.

Walk when you can, drive when you must.
You see more cool stuff and it’s good for you. Don’t always park close to the front of the store. Just pick a place and park the car. Then walk. Take walks when ever possible. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life that we miss dearly if we couldn’t do it. If you don't want to walk or it really is too far, then ride. It's amazing what you miss when you drive. Smelling stuff for instance; the smells you encounter when riding is always a surprise.

Success =?
What is success? Well, that depends on who and what we’re talking about. Plus, the definition varies from person to person. But I know there are some commonalties among all successful people. Successful people are happy of who they are and who surrounds them. They may not enjoy their job, but they enjoy some activity that may be funded by their job. Money is no gauge of success. I know of many miserable, rich people. They may be good at just one thing and lousy at everything else. Success comes from within and is determined by the individual’s standards and not by others. You’ll know when you become successful. Don’t worry if not another person on earth recognizes it.

The Basic Rules of Life - PART THREE

The Rules - Part 3

You are not your car.
Way too many men equate their motor vehicles with “who they are.” For some reason this extends into their own sense of being men as well. Because of that, they will drive too fast, cut off other drivers and get mad on the highway when they can’t have their own way. It is amazing to me that someone could get shot because they passed someone on a road. A car is merely a way to get from one place to another. If you’ve got air conditioning, a comfortable seat and a good radio, the trip is more enjoyable. But the way a car looks, how new it might be or how fast it can travel has nothing to do with the person behind the wheel. A serial killer can buy a Mercedes and more than a few millionaires are known to drive old pickup trucks. You can’t buy status.

Don’t look at the label, look at the seams.
Designer labels are just a piece of cloth. Buying a shirt, pair of pants or shoes because someone has placed a designer label on them is a waste of money and they don’t pay you to do their advertising for them. You can’t buy status.

Make a fool of yourself.
Dance. Laugh. Be silly in front of dogs and babies. For goodness sake, don’t take yourself too seriously. If you do something stupid, laugh along with everyone else, but don’t make it a point to make fun of others. I am sure that if you look at your own actions, there is plenty to laugh at.

Smile.
I don’t know why, but it is harder to be happy than it is to be sad. Smiling, just because you can, will make you feel better. Really, when you are feeling really crappy, try cracking a smile. After a short while your attitude and behavior will improve. Trust me, it works.

Don’t get married.
Unless you are really sure you want to do so. Staying married is the second hardest thing a person can do. If you find someone who you love in spite of his or her idiotic, sloppy and mindless ways then by all means marry that person as soon as you can. Chances are, they may love you in spite of your idiotic, sloppy and mindless ways as well. A happy marriage is a rare and wonderful thing…and worth fighting for. But for God’s shake, choose wisely. Think to yourself, “Do I want to get old, really old and tired and bored and upset with this person for the rest of my life?” If the answer is yes, marry that person and don’t look back.

Don’t have children.
Unless you are absolutely, 100% and really sure. Having children is easy but raising them is the hardest thing a person will ever do in his or her life. There is no task more difficult. Anyone can make a baby, but it takes patience, skill, money, time and more love than you thought possibly existed in the universe to raise a child. There may be no greater joy than for a parent to see their children grow and find happiness. But if you decide not to have children, then don’t. There is no shame in choosing this path. By doing so, you may be able to help the others who are raising children by spending time and energy on which they may be running a bit low. There is great joy in becoming a favorite aunt, uncle or mentor to young people.