100 No-Nonsense Rules To Live By

How to be happy? That's the big question, isn't it? September is approaching faster than we’d like it to (it always is, regardless of when and where you’re reading this). It is a time of new beginnings for millions of youths in the world, who often need guidance. It should also be a time of introspection for those of us in the workforce. To help the process, I have written, in no particular order, 100 pieces of advice on how to best get through the year as a happy, well-balanced human being. God knows we need those.

1. Be on time

2. Keep your word

3. Always double-tap

4. Buy the orange properties in Monopoly

5. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room

6. All dogs are the best dog in the world. Pet that dog. Go on

7. When someone tells you you’ve hurt them, you don’t get to decide that you didn’t

8. Thank the cook before Instagramming the food

9. When it comes to investing, boring is sexy

10. A gun is always loaded

11. You don’t buy beer, you rent it

12. Always sit at the bar. Being on a first name basis with a good bartender is one of life’s rare pleasures

13. Money won’t make you happy. But it’s more fun to cry in a Tesla than on bike

14. Return to the mean is the second strongest force in the universe after compounding

15. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Abraham Lincoln said that

16. Never gloat. Pride is not the antidote to shame, but its source

17. Invest in great luggage

18. Confidence is quiet. Insecurities are loud

19. Don’t worry too much about controlling your emotions. Control your actions instead

20. Invest early in love, money, friendship… and trust in compounding. Nothing changes day by day, but when we look back everything is different

21. If you offer to help don’t quit until the job is done

22. Be a good listener. Don’t just take your turn to talk

23. Principles only mean something if you stick by them when they’re inconvenient

24. When you do something right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all

25. Don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm

26. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

27. Don’t underestimate the role of luck in life. Not all success is due to hard work, and not all poverty is due to laziness.

28. Don’t fill up on bread, no matter how good

29. Giving money is good. Giving time is often better

30. Nobody is ever against you. Nobody will ever care enough about you to be against you. It’s an incredibly liberating realisation

31. Sympathy is a crutch. Never fake a limp

32. It’s okay to go to the movies by yourself

33. Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace

34. Remember that owning a house and having a home are often two very different things

35. You only get one chance to notice a new haircut

36. Never call someone before or after 9am and 9pm (exceptions may apply)

37. Be decisive. Right or wrong, make a decision. The roads of life is paved with flat squirrels that couldn’t make a decision.

38. There are plenty of ways to enter a pool. The stairs are not one of them

39. Thank the bus driver

40. Know at least one good joke

41. Don’t linger in the doorway. In or out

42. A handshake beats an autograph

43. Forgive yourself for your mistakes

44. Be mindful of what comes between you and the Earth. Always buy good shoes, tires and sheets

45. If you don’t do anything to stop a mistake from happening again, you can’t keep calling it a mistake

46. Physical and mental health are both equally important

47. Don’t eat lunch alone or at your desk if you can avoid it

48. Don’t judge too quickly: we have a tendency to want the other person to be a finished product while we give ourselves the grace to evolve.

49. Know the size of your partner’s clothes

50. You are what you do. Not what you say

51. In order to get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done

52. Some occasions call for vodka. Others for tea. Know the difference

53. Don’t boo at sporting events

54. Don’t be the talker in a movie

55. Make goals for the next 18 months AND for the next 10 years

56. Don’t follow your dream: people who say that are already rich

57. You’re never too old to need your Mom

58. Costs and risks are both financial and emotional. The weight of both depends solely on you

59. Look people in the eye when toasting

60. Know how to cook at least one good meal and how to prepare at least one good cocktail

61. If you’ve made your point, stop talking

62. Get up. Dress up. Show up. That’s always a good start

63. When giving a thank you speech, short and sweet is best

64. Try to get rejected at least once a day. You’ll never believe all the cool places you’ll end up getting into

65. If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company. You have to like yourself for others to like you

66. Hope for the best. Plan for the worse

67. Try most things once, but not everything

68. Humility, graciousness, intelligence, and empathy tend to generate more respect than bottle service at the club

69. The work in every relationship should be split 60/40, with both people trying to be the one giving 60%

70. When opening presents, no one likes a good guesser.

71. The best way to show thanks is to wear it. Even if it’s only once

72. Never get your haircut the day of a special event

73. Every lie you tell is a lie you have to keep track of

74. The first step towards true greatness is wearing clean underwear

75. When you marry someone, remember you marry their entire family

76. Under no circumstances should you ever ask a woman if she is pregnant

77. You make choices, and your choices make you. It goes both ways

78. You only improve when you’re up against someone who’s better than you

79. Make time for your mother on your birthday. It’s a special day for her too

80. Sometimes, the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else

81. Always thank the host

82. Never lie to your doctor

83. Give credit. Take blame

84. Admit when you’re wrong

85. Know how to keep secrets

86. Time spent with grandparents is time well spent

87. It’s never too late for an apology

88. Don’t use your safety net as a hammock

89. Be slow to anger and quick to forgiveness

90. Never answer the phone at the dinner table

91. If you’re staying more than one night, unpack

92. If you don’t understand, ask before it’s too late

93. Know how to use Excel at least as well as your boss

94. Be nice to kids. Reputations are built over a lifetime

95. When life gives you lemon, don’t just make lemonade. Sell it, too

96. You won’t always be the strongest or fastest. But you can be the hardest working

97. Your dance moves might not be the best, but I promise making a fool of yourself is more fun than sitting on the bench alone.

98. The most important decision in your life is picking the mother/father of your children. Compatibility, shared values, friendship, trust, responsibility, character, etc. matter at least as much as love

99. Vote

100. . If you like something, say so. It will make someone’s day