Stolen, Borrowed, And Learned: 33 More Random Pieces Of Life Advice
The 3-Word Quote: ‘Future Is Flexible’
***Welcome to another special edition of the3mix. Two months ago I shared some random pieces of advice I gave to my son as he was off to college - and received some great feedback. So, here is the collection of random advice I gave to one of my daughters.
Stolen, borrowed, and learned: some advice as you head off to college!
1.
Work harder this year on building relationships than you do on building skills. And you should always be working on skills.
2.
Take a few intellectual risks.
Ships are safest in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.
3.
Get outside everyday.
Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.
4.
You will never complain your way to better results in anything.
Save your breath and effort and do the needed work to make improvements.
5.
Don’t hit snooze.
If you want or need more sleep, set your alarm for a later time and enjoy the extra rest.
6.
Some college guys are asses, and when they go out some turn into assh@les. You can occasionally put up with asses; never tolerate assh@les.
7.
Criticizing a musician is easy.
But it is a lot harder to do it with a guitar in your hand.
8.
Do your laundry regularly.
Nothing feels better than clean socks fresh out of the dryer.
9.
Mature and professional people don’t rant on social media; they take their complaints and rationally talk to those who might do something about it.
You’re either looking for attention or you’re looking for solutions. And if you are ranting on social media, you’re looking for attention.
10.
Always try to improve - in most jobs, you either get better or you get bitter.
11.
Accept people for who they are not for who you think they should be.
If you keep going to an apple and expect to get orange juice, then the problem is with you not them.
12.
It is a cliche, but done is almost always better than perfect.
13.
Follow the Marine Corps’ motto of ‘Never leave a man behind.’
If you go out with four friends, make sure you bring four friends safely home with you.
14.
Be a creative chain-smoker.
Try new activities, join new clubs, meet new people. Go from one activity to the next much like a chain smoker goes from one cigarette to the next.
15.
Don’t worry if you are not good a something new. No one is good at anything new. You don’t need permission to try, but you’ll need grit to stick it out to get good.
Remember, neither of the Wright Brothers had a pilot’s license when they started to build a plane.
16.
Call your mom (and dad) even when you don’t need anything.
17.
Always doubt what you know, question what you believe, and analyze what you say.
Do these things and you will not only understand others better but yourself as well.
18.
Be the kind of person who would wash a rental car.
19.
Distance yourself from people who can’t distinguish fact from deeply help opinion.
These are the same people who will spit in your face and try to convince you it’s rain.
20.
Being on time shows politeness. Being early shows respect.
21.
Bring your QTIPs wherever you go.
You are learning and will be criticized. QTIP stands for Quit Taking It Personally. Most criticism is of your work, not about you personally. It is instruction that is often critical for improvement.
22.
I’ve heard a pint of Ben and Jerry’s can cure most things.
23.
Remember trust is gained in drops but lost in buckets.
Keep your word. Follow through with things.
24.
Know the difference between ‘error avoidance’ and ‘mistake recovery.’
If you are focused on error avoidance, you’ll never do anything worth doing. Mistake recovery, however, is important to getting better at anything.
25.
If you’ve never been in a car full of friends with the radio up and the windows down belting out Tom Petty’s Free Fallin, then you probably haven’t lived.
26.
Sometimes a hot breakfast and a cold shower is a quick way to change your mood or jumpstart your day.
27.
There is a huge difference between waiting to speak and listening.
28.
During tough moments, learn how to respond rather than react. Amateurs react impulsively; professionals respond intelligently.
Be a pro.
29.
Often it really is who you know that makes a difference. Find a mentor, and surround yourself with smart and interesting people.
Successful journeys are rarely solo trips.
30.
One of the worst places to be in the world is in between books - always have a good book you’re reading and one you plan on reading next.
31.
It will always be the little moments that don’t seem important that you’ll recall most fondly later - eating pizza at midnight with new friends, laughing with teammates on long bus rides home, late night study sessions where little learning takes place.
Savor these small moments because they’ll live big in your memories. They’ll be the ones you treasure forever.
32.
Always be cautious of lists that offer life advice.
33.
At times, you may feel like you don’t belong or feel as though you’re not as good as others. This is called imposter syndrome. This is normal at times. Just make sure you don’t let it keep you from doing what you want to do. Regrets feel worse than imposter syndrome.
3 things before you go:
listen: the only song mentioned in this advice
listen more: another Petty song- he claimed this was the only song that ever just came to him completely whole; no major editing needed; a great song
listen: acoustic version of this song (not Petty!)
Thanks for taking 3 minutes to read. Back in 10 days.
-Jeff