On rules. Obey all rules and especially the following.
On excuses. Just don't make them. Not now. Not later. Not ever. Even when you have a good one, blame yourself. In all likelihood, you just weren't prepared for something unpredictable to occur. Just get it done and be better prepared next time.
On paying the stupid penalty. Pay it once. Often in life, people have to pay a “stupid penalty.” This comes from doing something so stupid that you are embarrassed beyond belief that you did it. Various costs may be incurred but embarrassment is the greatest. Take it with dignity and good humor. Learn from it.
On disagreement 1. No matter how right you may be, there will always be someone who disagrees with you. After all, Jesus was always right and not everyone agreed with him back then and now. You can’t hope to do better.
On disagreement 2. From the above, when you disagree with someone, do so respectfully. Reasonable people can disagree over just about any subject. Name calling and offensive statements never get anywhere.
On sportsmanship, in sports and in life. Be a good sport. When your team or politician loses. And especially when it or he/she wins. The only thing worse than a sore looser is an arrogant winner.
On trust. If you lose someone’s trust, it is virtually impossible to get it back. An eon of honesty cannot completely obliterate an instant of dishonesty.
On tough times. When you encounter them, rise to the occasion.
On stress. Be nice to people under stress, like airport gate agents. It’s amazing what they will give you when the person who just walked away was rude to them.
On immaturity. At some point in your life, you will have to deal with an immature person. This person will likely have been screwing up all of his or her life and having someone fix it for them. Do not fix it. You will do that person a favor even though they will not recognize it.
On modesty. Be modest about your accomplishments. No one may brag about you, but that is not an opening for you to do so. That does not mean you cannot have pride, nor does it mean you should never mention anything you have done well. It just means do not go over the top. It cannot be hard to tell where the top is, because when someone else goes over, don't you know it?
On friends. Some friends are just not worth keeping. Make sure you’re not one of them.
Last updated: November 28, 2012