Within the next 55 days so many wondrous things will happen in your life, my life, our life. Over the next 7.85 weeks, we will experience Thanksgiving Day (here in the U.S.), Advent, Christmas, New Years, and I complete another revolution around the sun. All are cause for celebration and I plan to do so with family and friends. I, also, want to take this opportunity to share with you what I consider the 55 most indispensable life tips, tricks, hacks, that I have experienced. Thus, I offer this list as my gift to you, take away from it what you will.
DISCLAIMER: If you are overly sensitive or find yourself easily triggered then this list might not be for you, especially with the ensuing colorful language. You have been warned.
- Have Fun. Life is supposed to be an adventure. Have Fun on that adventure.
- Some days life may get too serious. That’s ok. There is always tomorrow.
- Be different now. Don’t wait for old age to stand out from the crowd.
- Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger only if you learn from it. Otherwise, it is just a matter of time before it does.
- This applies to everyone you meet: Forgive but don’t forget. Forgetting is how you find yourself being asked to forgive again and again.
- You will go through many heartbreaks in your life. However, the one that is meant to be will never break your heart so don’t break their heart.
- If you ask for permission and you have to wait for an answer, it is not a reflection on what you want to do, it is a reflection on their inability to realize what you can do.
- If you made a decision then stick to it. No one likes someone who is wishy-washy and cannot stick to their word.
- If life was fair, there would No Losers and NO Winners.
- You cannot change people. Only the individual can change themselves.
- Be the first to extend your hand, except to those that have already cut off your hand.
- Be Thankful for what you have. Be thankful for all of it whether you need it or not.
- Some days you have to throw caution to the wind and eat that extra slice of pie. Some days.
- If you surround yourself with people that would rather whine, bitch, moan and complain you WILL become just another Whiner that bitches, moans and complains
- There is no such thing in a fair fight. Everyone wants to win but it is the one that will do what it takes to win, will win.
- When faced with a dilemma ask yourself, “in five years will this matter?” If it does, really think this through.
- If you have to convince yourself that people have changed, they never have and they never will, all you are doing is spinning your wheels because the change you seek will never stick
- In the season of giving, remember there are people that need a little something extra, so give a little extra.
- When deciding to give, make sure you do so with the understanding that YOU might not get anything in return.
- People Will Believe the Negative about You long before they believe the Positive about you but that’s none of your business.
- People come and go but remember the hypocrites are here to stay. That’s what makes them so easy to spot and avoid.
- Spend the extra dollar on the ticket, the meal, the seat, the theater. It will make all the difference.
- Remember, when people talk about you it is usually because when they talk about themselves, nobody is listening.
- It is never too late to be happy. But that’s all up to you and no one else.
- When someone is trying to change their past and re-painting a picture of their life, let them. As I have said time and time again, you put a fresh coat of paint on an outhouse, once the paint dries it is still an outhouse.
- If crying will not change the situation, give yourself 5 minutes of crying, then wipe your nose and move forward.
- Those worth fighting for will be the ones that know you are worth fighting for.
- In your life there will come one person that will change everything, starting with the way how you love. Do all that you can to be with that person forever if possible.
- What other people think of you is none of your business. Unfortunately, for too many people it is not the other way around for them
- Stop telling people more than they need to know!
- When you create something, say or do something OWN IT! Shout it from the rooftops because people have a nasty habit of taking credit for stuff they did not Create, Do, or Say.
- You OWE nothing to anyone. They may think they are entitled to something but ask yourself are they really owed anything?
- People will come and go in your life. Remember they were there once and decided not to stick around, life went on without them and it continues to go on (be careful who you let back in).
- If people get upset by your truth, that’s on them. You just make sure you say the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
- If anything can change in the blink of an eye it probably will, just roll with it.
- If you want to change you have to put in the work for the long haul, short term change is just another way of appeasing someone or yourself
- You might have a plan. That’s nice. Life has its own plan and you will know it as it happens and not one second before.
- Under Promise and Over Deliver!
- If you don’t like something say so right away otherwise it festers and it comes out when it is too late.
- When it comes to chocolate. You will know what to do.
- Here’s another one I learned throughout my life. So, what I am about to say PLEASE Think about this and let it sink in, I mean really let it sink in: Your children get only one childhood. You had yours. good or bad, screwed up or not is moot. Your children should have every opportunity to have a childhood they need and deserve. Your past should be used as a bench mark on what to do and NOT do during their childhood. Oh, and always remember, no matter what it is their childhood, their ONLY childhood.
- Remember, every day to be appreciative of being alive. Not just a couple of days out of the year.
- Growing old beats the alternative: dying young and the truth is we all die too young.
- Call them out on their Bullshit, doing that early and often minimizes the chances of them trying to pull their bullshit on you in the future.
- Never let doubt take over, just keep moving forward. I told someone not so long ago Stand up, take a deep breath, roll your shoulders back a few times, stand tall and do it. Cast that doubt aside and just make it happen.
- It takes guts to do something like this. It takes courage to put a face to the words. But the real courage is to X out the naysayers and those that lack the guts, grits, the courage to stand up and put their money here their mouth is. See most people would rather shout nonsense from the shadows Create drama where and when there is no need to instead of the standing up for all to see who they really are. Let’s be authentic, let’s be real.
- You do not have to win every argument. In time, they will realize you did. While you choose not to win make one thing absolutely certain: You give them a good fight!
- Now, about the past. While far too many people have tried, the past cannot be changed. You cannot change your past. Make peace with your past and leave it where it belongs, in the past. Also, leave the people that belong in the past in the past. Put them where they belong. Most people forget to do so. Don’t be one of them. You have a present to enjoy.
- Every day is a new day, every day begins a new year. Don’t wait for the calendar to tell you so.
- Do not compare your life to others, you have no idea just how screwed up they really are and guess what? They have no idea just how screwed up you are. Keep it that way.
- Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter will weigh you down in more ways than one. I am not saying go minimalist, I am saying start removing or trimming the clutter in your life.
- Get rid of anyone that is not a positive force in your life. Their nonsense and their clutter will weigh you down in so many ways.
- No one has power over your reactions unless you give it to them. They do not. You do. Yes, only YOU have the power to control your actions and reactions. If you find that you have given it to someone then re-claim what is rightfully yours. Only you have the power over your actions and reactions no one else does. Remember that!
- ABC: Always Be Learning. Always Keep Learning. Never stop learning. Learn Something New. Go Deeper into Mastery of Something You Already know. No matter what and without fail: Always Be Learning.
- If someone needs to be told to Fuck Off, Do It! Do not do what I have done in the past and wait for too long. The deeper you dig yourself into that rabbit hole of tolerating instead of moving on and thriving the more difficult it will be to get out of it. However, when you do tell them where to go they probably will get offended but guess what? That’s on them!
Please note, this is not the definitive list. It will be updated but in the meantime, this is the list. -Dave
You can download a PDF version of my 55 Before 55 list by Clicking Here
Always Remember, in order to become a GREAT LEADER, you have to first be Great at LEADING YOURSELF. Lead Yourself Without Equal.