50 Pretty Good Rules

Nobody In Particular is starting to drift back into Things Aaron Dislikes, so here's a little something I picked up from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer a few years back that I really enjoyed.

It was called 50 Pretty Good Rules for Life, and it was written by a man named Bill Center, who wrote a reader blog called A Radical Centrist on Globalism and Trade. (I should see if he's still writing it elsewhere.) Of course I don't follow all of the rules - I've pretty much chucked #3 right out the window, but they make for a pretty good outlook on life, which most of us could use. Especially those of us who revel a bit too much in our own cynicism.

1. Always play by the rules!
2. Treat everyone you meet with respect and dignity. Never intentionally alienate anyone. You can never have too many friends.
3. Avoid cynicism and sarcasm. No matter how cynical you become, you'll never be able to keep up. [But I'm getting close... I little longer and I'll be out in front, let alone just "caught up."]
4. Nothing is impossible to the person who doesn't have to do it themselves.
5. Once you know a person, if you can't get along with them it's at least partly your fault.
6. Never be vindictive. When doling out punishment, always err on the side of leniency.
7. Never stand so close to your position that when your position goes, you go with it.
8. Be an encourager. Never ridicule dreams, quench hope, or give up on fellow human being.
9. Express your gratitude. We owe a lot to others. Thank them often.
10. Be generous. Help those in need. Tip big. Don't hesitate to pay more than your fair share. It won't lower your standard of living.
11. You can't make someone else's choices. Don't let someone else make yours. Choose to be happy.
12. Call your Mom. If it's too late for that, call someone else who'll be equally happy to hear your voice.
13. The details are just as important as the big picture.
14. Listen carefully. Opportunity often knocks softly and wisdom sometimes whispers.
15. Respect your elders. If things work out really, really well you will eventually be old yourself. 
16. Stay calm. Lighten up. The first report is usually wrong. Except for rare life-and-death instances, things are seldom as bad as you imagine and almost always look better in the morning.
17. Vote or keep quiet.
18. Try at least twice as hard to understand the views of others as you do to explain your own. It helps to start by assuming not everyone who disagrees with you is an idiot.
19. Always know where you're headed. Have a personal mission, vision and goals. Set high goals for yourself and high standards for yourself and others. Have at least one truly audacious goal.
20. Fortune favors the well-prepared. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
21. Get up early. Get to work early. Go home early.
22. When dealing with the media, remember, they always get the last word. Never do or say anything you wouldn't want to read about on the front page. 
23. Take responsibility for your own life. Never blame circumstances, other people or bad luck. Life is not fair. Don't whine – ever.
24. Don't expect people to follow your advice and ignore your example.
25. Treat children as your equals. Don't patronize or talk down to them. Cherish them for who they are, not who you'd like them to be.
26. Take good care of yourself. You're gonna live longer than you expect and good health is a joy and productivity multiplier. Death is nature's way of telling you it's time to slow down.
27. Be loyal. Keep other peoples' secrets and don't burden them with yours.
28. The world is changing, and will continue to change, like it or not. Our challenge is to help ensure it changes for the better.
29. It is rare for someone to remark, "Gosh that speech was too short."
30. Don't waste too much time trying to stifle bad ideas. It's tough enough to get a really good idea implemented.
31. Pray for wisdom and courage, not for stuff.
32. Be yourself. If that's not good enough, try harder. Never stop working to improve yourself.
33. Become a good mentor and learn to accept mentoring from others. No matter what stage of life you're entering, you've never been there before and you still have a lot to learn.
34. Learn the power of forgiveness and practice it. Forgive yourself first. Don't dwell on past mistakes. Learn from them and vow to do better in the future.
35. The only way to accept a complement is to say "thank you" and then do your best to live up to it.
36. Hire people who are smarter than you are, then listen to them and take care of them.
37. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Seek quality and value in all things.
38. Remember, overnight success usually takes at least fifteen or twenty years.
39. Media bias is inescapable. Avoid consuming only the news with which you agree. Limit your daily media intake or risk distorting your view of reality.
40. A successful marriage depends less on finding just the right mate than becoming just the right mate.
41. Never say you don't have enough time. You have precisely the same amount of time as everyone else. Use it wisely. 
42. It's hard to be truly humble, which is mystifying when you consider how much we have to be humble about. 
43. Share credit; shoulder blame.
44. Have the courage to always say and do the right thing regardless of the consequences to you.
45. Never hesitate to say: I don't know, or I need help, or I made a mistake, or I'm sorry.
46. Don't gossip or speak ill of others.
47. Stay open to new ideas, new experiences and new people. Darwin posited "survival of the most adaptable" not "survival of the fittest." It's more important to be adaptable than to be tough. [Darwin borrowed the term from Herbert Spencer to stand in for "Natural Selection." (On the Origin of Species, p. 77.)]
48. Trust your instincts. Be decisive, even if there's a chance of error or mistake. Don't let risk of failure stand in the way of a good decision. 
49. Stick with the optimists. Things will be tough enough if they're right.
50. Sometimes you gotta break the rules – especially when confronted with a "no win" scenario. When necessary, ask forgiveness and press on!