What are the "secrets" you have uncovered?

In response to “You don’t want to pave a cow path.” - Cow paths usually take the path of least resistance through the given environment. Unless you have the time, money and manpower to alter the environment, you will like be better off improving the cow path.

Everytime I step outside there is something new to see and learn if I am open to it.

Always pay attention to animals. They can tell you the darnedest things.

Be nice to people.

From a redneck buddy - “Now lets thinik ‘bout this a minute. If ya ain’t at least 10% smarter than the inanimate object yer workin’ on - yer doomed right from the get go.”

Reading these replies makes me think of that “Always Wear Sunscreen” song that was popular a few years ago… but I digress…

Secrets I’ve found out:

  • Speaking bad of people ALWAYS comes back to bite you in the ass.

  • Forgiveness (of others and yourself) is crucial in life.

  • Eating healthy really does make a difference in the way you feel!

  • There are only a handful of people that truly give a shit about you.

  • Cleaning up after each small mess makes life much easier than waiting until everything is a big mess, and then cleaning it up.

Always follow the recipe EXACTLY the first time you try it. You may think your “improvement” will make the meal better, but you’re wrong.

Don’t go to bed angry.

If your brother, sister, mother, father, and best friend don’t like her, then maybe you shouldn’t marry her.

Measure twice, cut once. Hell, measure three times.

When using tools, a light touch is better than brute strength.

At some point, it’s as good as you’re going to get it. Either say it’s finished, get help, or start over.

Say hello nicely and ask how someone’s day is going and you will have a lot less trouble with bureaucrats.
You can keep your temper and not punch walls, but you’re just going to break your hand doing something else. So mark the studs.
If you are in school, visit your professors often and early, and sit in the front row in class.
If it is too cold to start your car, turn the lights on and go back inside for five minutes and try again after that.
Take judo.
Even basic, easily obtainable facts are beyond the grasp of newspaper reporters and editors.
Learn some simple magic tricks and some clean jokes. They have to be short & quick.
You’re not a good story teller–out with it, already.
If you hear something about economics in the media, count on it being wrong.

Be polite to people when you order food. This is especially true for delivery. The person you just yelled at may be alone with your food for several minutes.

This is often useful in situations other than driving. Just realize that there are some really creative idiots who will outstrip your most bone-headed projections.

Being occasionally brilliant will often impress people more than being regularly above-average. Make your out-of-the-ordinary accomplishments noticeable.

Always try to have a friend who owns a truck.

A purring cat on your lap is worth more than a bottle of anti-depressent pills.

Always look for rainbows after a rain.

Attending School: Always carry tissues. Nothing sucks worse than sitting through a lecture sniffling and wiping your nose on your sleeve. An umbrella is really handy too.
Also, think of a question and go talk to the professor early in the semester. Most professors love this and it can make a difference in grades.

Driving: Think ahead. Don’t wait til the last second to change lanes. Drive proactively.
It is always cheaper to keep and fix an older car than to get suckered into buying a brand new one.

Work: Unfortunately, how you’re percieved is often more important than the work you do. If you want to get ahead, look the part.
Alternately, if you hate your job, quit. Or at least start exploring options. There’s almost always a way to get out of a job you out hate and find something you like if you’re willing to cut back on a lot of needless “necessities”.

What is popular is rarely what is good.

From Deteriorata: Know that a walk through the ocean of most souls would scarcely get your feet wet.

Here’s the “secret” I always post in threads like this. When you use a pay phone in a noisy environment, cover your mouthpiece (when you’re not speaking, of course) with your hand to hear the other party better.

Why? The phone is designed to send some of your mouthpiece signal into your earpiece so you can “hear yourself talk.” In noisy situations the mouthpiece picks up all the ambient noise and funnels it into your ear – a bad thing. Cover the mouthpiece and you’ll only hear the voice on the other end. Works like a charm!

Yeah, but what took me a while to figure out is that listening is not enough. It’s not enough to just sit there taking stuff in through your ears and absorbing it into your brain—respond! You have to let people know you’re listening.

People who say, “it’s not about the money, it’s the principle of the matter” are lying. Truth is it’s really about the money.

“The check is in the mail” is the 2nd biggest lie of all time. The biggest lie of all time is too dirty for this forum.

The only way to act sincere is to be sincere.

Never, ever, use a line when attempting to pick up member of the opposite sex. A smile and an introduction are infinitely more effective.

A smile can be heard over the phone. Use this to your advantage.

And in support of previous posts about listening: “God gave you two ears and one mouth; use the former twice as much as the latter”.

My apartment has no built-in phone jacks. They are all the little boxes that are added after primary construction.

Why would someone build an apartment like this? It was built in the late seventies in a suburban neighborhood…it’s a duplex set up like a townhouse (two floors, apartments side by side).

:wally

Damn.

Wrong forum.

That’s what I get for having too many windows open at once.

My secret: Always look at the stars. It only takes a minute and it puts things in perspective.

Have respect for ALL, including the dead (or undead, or other creatures, be it a dream or “reality” :stuck_out_tongue: ), and show them kindness and don’t be afraid to trust them, perhaps it might be returned someday.

Think before speaking/acting.

If driver training instructor is uber-control-freak slamming hard on brakes and deliberately distracting driver trainee then snapping at trainee blaming them, get a different instructor asap if possible.

If tend to snap and punch things real hard when really stressed out, recommend getting a large punching bag (applies to myself, need to get one still :stuck_out_tongue: ).

If others tend to go thru private belongings moving them despite you telling them to leave your stuff alone, get a safe or some means to insure mostly against unauthorized access to private stuff.

Ignore needless unreasonable negative comments directed at you.
In my case at least, immediate family tends to totally lack respect for unusual things I might do, although thankfully some are intelligent enough to recognize or at least not bother me about such things*
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Don’t believe stereotypes.

Dreams can have a profound lasting impression/change.

No need to fear death, I certainly don’t. :cool: (Although numerous near-fatal occurances and numerous dreams involving the dead/not-so-dead, and one with the Grim Reaper, and another with Anubis (sadly both short dreams interrupted) has certainly influenced my opinion/loyalty.

Nothing wrong IMO with feeling/being strongly subservient to another person/being in some cases. (bet some wonder where I get that idea from, hehe).

*Like for example if I’m concentrating deeply on something and tend to effectively stop doing anything for a few moments outwardly, parents/siblings always react in a strong negative tone accusing me of ignoring them/day-dreaming/“zoning-out”, which includes them accusing me of sleeping when I’m actually just meditating, merely because I have eyes closed and am not moving much and breathing slowly. Thankfully at least grandmother (fathers side) has much more respect/intelligence and recognizes my intelligence far more then parents/siblings do.

This is a fantastic thread. :slight_smile:

In 30 years, I have been able to work out the following…

Smiling: If you smile when you are talking to people, they will like you more and be more accomodating.

Lids on Jars: If the lid won’t come off the jar, punch a hole in the top of it with a sharp knife. I think the vacuum seal gets broken and the lid then comes open a lot easier.

Free stuff: Generally speaking, if you get something for nothing then that’s what it is worth. (Corrolary to: If something sounds too good to be true it probably is)

Honesty: Telling the truth is ALWAYS better than lying.

You can lead a fool to knowledge, but you can’t make him think.

Huh. I’ve learned that it’s more important to be kind than it is be truthful.

Others:

Stop fretting about what strangers think of your appearance. Assuming you’re washed and dressed, most people won’t even notice or remember. Besides, who gives a shit if strangers are judging you; you’ll probably never see them again.

Most of the time, most people try to darnest to be good people. Don’t be forever cynical about people you don’t know; it’s short-sighted and arrogant.

If someone’s telling you their personal problems, they want you to LISTEN–not respond with an anedote or personal issue of your own. Don’t take over the conversation; let them speak and they’ll love you for it.

Nice shoes are worth the extra expense. They look good, they feel better and they last longer.

Get up and dance. No one’s really interested in judging how good or bad you are, they just want to see you have a good time. Anyway, those I’m-terrible-but-I-don’t-give-a-shit dancers are more attractive than those standing about and moping.

If you’re feeling down about your love life, don’t constantly moan about your bad luck, particularly to those you don’t know. No one will ever want to fuck you if you’re bitching all the time.

This can be generalised into “people who enjoy life are more attractive than those who don’t.”

I found a good way to get them off that always works, bang the lid of the jar on a counter top, it bends the jar inwards and causes the air pressure to equalize, making it easy to get the lid off.