Tips for the GOOD LIFE:

1.  Stay in contact with your loved ones.

2.  Imagine where you are going and who you are becoming.

3.  Act like a stakeholder in your local government; they make a lot of decisions that you should be a part of.

4.  Focus 90% of your time on solutions, and only 10% of your time on problems.

5.  Save at least 15% of any money you make and invest it.  Compounded interest is the eighth wonder of the world.

6.  Volunteer—not so you can build your résumé, but so you can build your knowledge and character.
7.  As a leader, walk inconspicuously amongst "the people".  Don't rely on what you're told from mid-level managers.

8. Take a friend out to eat once a month.

9. Know people for who they are rather than for what they are.

10. Read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  He is the Socrates of the 21^st-Century.

11. Read Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Don Miguel Ruiz.

12. Then, delve into The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide for Personal Freedom by the same author.

13. Maintain a passion for learning.  If you do, you will never cease to grow.

14. Remember, life is like a boomerang.  Whatever you “throw” out will always come back to you.

15. Realize that if you have time to complain about something, you have time to do something about it instead.

16. Always be nice to secretaries and assistants.  They are the real gatekeepers in the world.

17. Use a weekly planner.

18. Smile, it’s the key that fits everyone’s heart.

19. The greatest gift you can give another person is your attention.

20. The greatest gift you can give yourself is a little of your own attention.  Zen moments.

21. Learn to say a polite "No" and thus manage yourself so that you can lead your life.

22. Apply for a position in an organization, no matter how big or how small.

23. Be a mentor.

24. Have a mentor.

25. Continually strive to improve yourself.

26. Reality doesn’t bite; rather, our perception of reality bites.

27. Don’t fear change; embrace it.

28. When thinking about having more food, wait for twenty minutes.  This is the time it takes your brain to tell your stomach that you’ve had enough.

29. Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.

30. You can learn a lot from people who view the world differently than you do.

31. Never surround yourself with "Yes-people": differences create development and balance.
32. When giving a presentation, give your hand-out materials after your presentation.  This way, people will pay attention to you, rather than the papers.

33. Even though you can’t control the winds, you can always control your own sails.  When there is no wind, row your boat.

34. If you put garbage into your body, you will get garbage out of it.

35. Read Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
36. If interested in great customer service and/or hospitality, read Setting the Table by Danny Meyer.

37. Attend at least one raunchy party to remind you of where you don’t want to end up in life... or go to the local courthouse.

38. If a person offers to buy you a drink and you don’t want it, ask them for the money instead.  You’ll be able to discover their true motive.

39. Write “thank you” notes to people who add value to your life: postal carriers, baristas, police, teachers, et cetera.

40. You were born with two ears and one mouth.  Use them in that proportion.

41. Observe the masses and do the opposite.

42. Turn your dreams into goals by placing a deadline on them.

43. When solving problems, "dig at the roots", instead of just "hacking at the leaves".

44. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

45. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it... and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

46. No matter your opinion of money, read the book Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.  
47. More importantly, read the first two "Rich Dad" books by Robert Kiyosaki.

48. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

49. Don’t pass judgement on yourself or others.  It improves your karma and lessens stress.

50. Action conquers fear.

51. Develop a healthy attitude towards taking risks.

52. When climbing your ladder of success, be sure that it is leaning against the right wall.
53. In order to succeed, you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time.

54. Some people in life only serve to show us what not to do.

55. Some friends come into our lives for limited times to help us.  Then--through no fault of anyone's--they leave.

56. Our mind is like a parachute.  It only works if it is open.

57. Never let your persistence and passion turn into stubbornness and ignorance.

58. Rather than "hitting the bottle" after a rough day, hit a gym.

59. Don’t’ compete.  Instead, create cooperation.  Row as a team in the same direction.

60. Embrace the future or it’s going to run over you.  e.g.: look at people who are computer illiterate.

61. Look at rainy days as being intimate or refreshing, rather than being gloomy.

62. Community deeds are the rent we pay for living in this world.

63. We tend to believe what the people around us believe.  Work on that.  Without undue influence, maybe you'll see things uniquely.

64. Allow yourself to walk away from negative people who create drama or strife.

65. True optimism is not the absence of reality; rather it is the taking of action in spite of reality.

66. Reflect upon yesterday, dream about tomorrow, live for today, and cherish this moment.  "Now" is all you have.

67. Always respect those who are absent if you want to retain the respect of those who are present.

69. You can and should shape your own future.  If you don’t, someone else surely will.

70. Savor anticipation.  It is one of the greatest pleasures that life has to offer.

71. Accountability breeds responsibility.

72. Planning doesn't kill spontaneity; it creates opportunity.

73. One of the heaviest things that you’ll ever let go of is your own ego and your past.

74. The secret to a beautiful painting is knowing what not to put on the canvas.  Likewise, the secret to a beautiful life is knowing what not to put in it.  e.g.: certain people, habits, clutter.

75. Over-commitment is one of the greatest ways to dilute your effectiveness.

76. No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent.

77. See stumbling blocks as stepping stones.

78. Encourage laughter: it is the music of the soul.
79. Art is the beauty that keeps the rust off of life.

80. Never tear down anything, unless you are prepared to put something better in its place.

81. Develop an attitude of gratitude.

82. Invite your friends (who cannot travel to their homes) to your home for a holiday.  It will mean a lot to them.

83. Pure joy can be created at any moment.
84. There is no better feeling on this Earth than to give a little of yourself to brighten another person’s day.  (That’s why I created this blog.)