Life Lessons We Should All Follow

I wrote this for my son when he was born in 2017. A few days after I met him for the first time, I set up his own personal gmail account, a sort of modern-day time capsule, and this was the first thing I sent; followed by a few pictures of mom and dad and family.

I'm not sure if I was subconsciously collecting and arranging these tips and lessons during my wife's pregnancy, but when I sat down to write them, I didn't stop till it was finished. Looking back (he's almost 3 now), I think it's more likely that all of these are things we already know intuitively or eventually discover through the normal, sometimes painful, course of life. It's just that sometimes, we get so bogged down, so worn out, so distracted, that simple truths escape our innate ability to sense them, or evade us like fading shadows as the sun dips on the daily grind of adult life.

General rules to guide you through a world that gets crazier by the day…

1. Don’t be a dickhead. This is the most important rule of life - if you can get this right then you will attract good things and good people into your life while other dickheads will avoid you

2. Keep a good balance in everything you do. Anything in excess is bad, most things in moderation are OK. Climb that tree, but not so high that the fall will break your legs

3. Don’t smoke. Don’t ever pick something up that you will struggle to put down later

4. Always stand up for yourself and others. The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing

5. Don’t judge too quickly. The best things in life need to be unwrapped

6. Don’t trust too easily. It needs to be earned and is hard to regain if broken so…

7. Always keep your promises

8. Stay humble

9. Respect your teachers. They will come in many forms in your life and most of them do it without any thanks or reward

10. The world owes you nothing. Good things don’t come to those who wait. Average things at best go to those lazy bastards. The best things come to those who get up early, work hard and take their opportunities when they come

11. Everything in the universe starts with a single idea. Think it, believe it, act like you already have it

12. Accept the things you cannot change. Worrying never keeps anything bad from happening. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the ability to continue in spite of it

13. Learn to appreciate the little things. Never stop learning and growing. That’s how you will find God

14. Love your family. In the end, the only things you can take with you are the memories of the people you love and that love you

15. It’s not about how hard you can hit – it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done - Rocky

And lastly, never forget, to the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible

- Dad (Hopefully Mom approves)