re: Best life lessons you can share

Never get less than 12 hours sleep

Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city

Never go near a lady with a tattoo of a dagger on her hand.

Is it still going to be important a year from now? If not stop stressing about it.

A true, somewhat long, story:

About 20 years ago, when me and my friends and acquaintances were in our 20s, mostly married, almost none with kids, we would get a group of about 50 people and charter a sailing schooner out of Biloxi, MS for the day. The crew would sail us out to Horn Island, where we'd have a beach party all day, then sail back around sunset, drinking quite a bit the whole day. In fact we referred to these annual events as "The Booze Cruise". The rides back were always a great time, with music being played, dancing on the deck, lots of camaraderie, and a lot of the guys would enjoy a cigar along the railing. I usually brought a few cigars, so I could share with a guy who didn't know the tradition or forgot to bring one. Now, these cigars were not Dutch Masters, White Owls, etc.-- we're talking fine cigars that went for $5-$10 apiece back then. Well, one time I had a bought two different types of cigars in preparation for the cruise-- a couple of Arturo Fuentes that I knew I liked, and a couple of new ones I was planning to try.

So on the trip back, we are all mellowed out, the sun is getting low in the sky, early 70s R&B is playing on the boombox, and so I take out one of the new cigars, cut the tip and fire it up.

Unfortunately, it wasn't really that good. But I figured I paid pretty good money for the damn thing, so I might as well smoke it. Apparently, my displeasure with the cigar was noticed by my friend Jeff, who came over and said,

"Dude, what's up? I can see by your face something is bugging you."

I told him my situation, that I didn't really like this new cigar type, and noted that I had an Arturo Fuente that I knew I liked, but the idea of wasting $5-10 bucks on a cigar irked me.

That's when he said, "Let me tell you what my dad once told me: There's two things in this world. Money, and Time. You can always make more money, but you can't make more time." Then, slowly spreading his arm to illustrate the vista of sea, sky, sails, happy friends and sunset before us, added, "And you won't be able to make THIS time again."

I immediately tossed the offending cigar into the drink, and went and got my Arturo Fuente, which was much better and only added to my enjoyment of that time.

And I've always thought of that whenever it's a question of money or time-- particularly in times when we are supposed to have fun and make the memories we live for-- vacations and such.

Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.

quote:

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Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.

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You must unlearn what you have learned.

I bought a really nice sports car when I was 25. I had it five years and it simply became another car. Lesson, grails we lust for simply become things. A Rolex ends up feeling like just watch, a Corvette Grand Sport becomes just a car.

Balls to the walls. Keep it 100

1. Being in a good mood (or a bad one) is largely a conscious choice. Yes, stress and other factors can make you more susceptible to snapping and so forth, but by and large you can get up every morning, look in the mirror and say, "Superstar? It's up to you. Go out there and have a great day!" That literally works. Took me a while to get to that point, but I have a good day - every day - for years now - going on 15 now.

2. You either believe in yourself or you don't. That's another conscious decision. That's a riff on the old Henry Ford wisdom, "Whether you believe you can do something or you don't - either way, you're right."

Two wrongs don’t make a right, but two Wrights make an airplane.