Treat your own time off work as if it was your second job and you are the project. Invest in your self by doing things to learn new skills, give you a sense of accomplishment, and make you happy. You work hard for someone else’s business; work just as hard to make your happiness your business

If something bad happens in your life, don’t let it define who you are. Don’t make it your excuse for not progressing yourself. Don’t undermine it, learn from it, understand it, and let it be apart of you without it being who you are

A real, effective apology has three parts: (1) Acknowledge how your action affected the person; (2) say you’re sorry; (3) describe what you’re going to do to make it right or make sure it doesn’t happen again. Don’t excuse or explain

While talking to anyone cross-eyed / lazy eyed / anything else that makes eye contact difficult, look at the bridge of their nose. You appear to be making eye contact with them without having to worry about making either of you uncomfortable

If you’ve made a mistake/screwed up already, STRONGLY fight the temptation to over-explain/ justify what happened. Own up to it, offer to make up for it, and move on.

Don’t ask a veteran if they ever killed someone. It is both the first and worst thing a veteran gets asked about

Every time you are about to buy something and instead decide to save the money, transfer that exact amount to savings with a memo of what you were going to buy

If a News Headline Tells you How to Feel, it’s Not News

Got a friend or family in the hospital? Consider giving them cozy blankets, soft socks, open toe slippers, book/eReader reader, long phone charger, and condiments for food instead of flowers. )

If you go clubbing or to concerts a lot buy yourself acoustic earplugs. They don’t muffle the sound, just get rid of the harmful frequencies. Tinnitus is something very easy to get and very hard/impossible to get rid of.

If you have to cancel plans with someone, immediately ask them when they are free again in the future and make replacement plans. It makes people feel like you do really care about seeing them and you appear less flaky

When someone is excited about something that isn’t a good idea, don’t burst their bubble right away. They won’t be open to hearing the negative. Wait til they’re in a more logical state and then ask the questions that will make them realize why it’s not a good idea

When someone says no to a piece of cake, don’t try to convince them saying “it’s just one piece”. It’s not just one piece. It’s a mentally lost battle that will affect the coming battles, possibly resulting in a lost war against an unhealthy lifestyle for a person actively trying to improve.

Don’t put your life on hold waiting for closure on something you’re struggling with. Many of life’s most difficult situations don’t have reasonable explanations

When things go bad at a job, good people leave, eventually followed by people who thought they could change things but got buried because too many good people left. Those left are bad people or hostages. The good people are your canary.

Genuinely caring about somebody a lot, does not guarantee they care about you equally (or at all) in return. Some people will never care about you regardless of what you do or say. So don’t assume somebody appreciates you just because you do nice things for them.