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People nearly always respond best to honesty, but no one will thank you for thoughtlessly hurting someone with the truth on a point of principle.
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Life isn’t fair, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Therefore sitting around and moping about petty injustices is pointless, life is fairer for me than than 99% of the worlds population.
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Bravery is doing something because it needs to be done, despite the fact you are afraid. Doing something dangerous for no good reason isn’t bravery it’s stupidity.
-If going out in Boylston Street in Boston, park your car in the Prudential / Copley Plaza garage. Get your ticket validated at the Legal Seafood restaurant (or whatever is there) so it will only be $5 to park (instead of like $20). If the hostess cares, just say you ate there earlier.
-After you buy a new cell phone and the $60 data cable, return the cable to the store after you update your phone. Odds are you will not need it for a long time.
-The best pick-up line is “hey…what’s up” or the equivalent.
-If you are bored at work because you have nothing to do, asking your boss for more work does not make you look “proactive”. It makes you look like someone the company is paying to do nothing.
-If your Inbox is too full, simply delete anything older than two weeks. If it was that important, someone will follow up with you.
-Every year, write a polite letter to your landlord asking for the rent to be reduced. I reduced my rent in my NY studio by $200 a month AFTER it came off rent-stabalization.
-NEVER give headhunters information about where you are interviewing. At best they will contact this company with other candidates and at worst, they will resubmit your resume to try and take credit for your employment.
-Loyalty is for people, not companies.
-Attend the most well-known and respected schools you can get into. Your first job should be for the largest, most well-know company you can get hired into and you should consider leaving in 2-3 years.
-Always log out of your email
-At the airport, place all your keys, cellphone watches, beltbuckles, and other metal in your carry on so you don’t set off the detector and make them take the wand out. If going to another country, try to look like a dorky tourist, not a college student or a drug smuggler until after you leave the airport.
Smile, and people will smile back. It makes everyone feel better.
Prettiness is skin-deep. Beauty is a matter of the soul.
Fear and regret are poisonous emotions–one taints your future, and the other taints your past. You’re better off without them.
The key to making a good roux is convincing the flour that you’re going to let it burn before adding the water.
Bring cookies to work and share them freely. Life always seems better when there are cookies available, and no one wants to sack the person who brings in the nice stuff to eat.
Do for others whatever you can do easily, do everything you can do for friends and loved ones.
In 16 years;
Always be as nice and polite to everyone as you can possibly be.
A firm handshake is more important than a list of credentials or any kind of small talk.
If you have work to do, kick into high gear and get it done. It will take forever if you complain about the load.
Try to give yourself the same consideration you give to other people. (Okay; I haven’t actually learned that one yet).
Very few people are actually looking at you and assessing your faults – it’s more likely that they’re busy obsessing about their own faults.
Half of all car drivers are insane and want to kill you. The other half are sane, and they also want to kill you.
She’s just as nervous as you are.
If the driver in the other lane is trying to cut in front of you, let him. Even if you’ve been stuck in your lane for 5 minutes and he just got there. You might find yourself in his situation some day.
Whenever anybody calls you out, look them straight in the eye. No matter how much in the wrong you are.
Always be nice to the people who clean up after you. They’re the ones who take away the documents you don’t want anybody to see.
No matter how dog ugly you think you are, somebody out there thinks you’re attractive.
On Relationships: No matter how much you love somebody, you cannot save them from themself.
On Money: People who need co-signers need them for a reason. Don’t do it.
Learned from various sources:
From Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels: No one ever got in much trouble keeping their mouth shut.
From my great-grandmother: eat food that remembers where it came from - the more it’s been processed, the less good it is for you. And “everything in moderation - including moderation.” It’s OK to go overboard sometimes, just don’t make a habit of it.
From observation: People are generally too busy worrying about how they look to worry about how YOU look. And magazine models are airbrushed. ALL OF THEM.
From the loss of a dear friend: Don’t wait 'til it’s too late to tell the people you love that you love them.
No one ever lay on their deathbed thinking, “Gosh, I wish I’d spent more time in the office.”
A teaspoon of vanilla extract improves a boxed cake mix in ways you can’t even imagine.
The alcohol in a cooked dish does NOT evaporate unless it is boiled for awhile or flat-out ignited.
Wrap the closed waistband of a pair of pants around your neck - if it fits there, it will almost always fit around your waist (and I knew that before I saw Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.)
Pee pale - drink enough water that your urine is clear and odor-free. It takes awhile for your body to react, so by the time you’re thirsty, you’re already about a pint low on fluid.
A seam ripper is your best friend if you, like me, hate itchy tags in shirts.
A really good set of kitchen knives is worth the money.
Don’t let your job rule your life. Your job is what you do to finance the part of your life you want to do.
You do not owe your employer loyalty for employing you. It’s a straight exchange: you do work, in recompense for which you get paid. You don’t owe anything you’re not being paid for. On the other hand, if your employer is treating you better than necessary, then gratitude is reasonable.
I know the Meaning of Life. We are here to help others. Remember this.
Sometimes the best way to help someone is to let them help you.
Drive as if the other drivers are drunk - you never can tell.
Dusting is a waste of time.
If you love someone, tell them. Don’t think those words have to be hoarded for the special person or the special time. Don’t wait until they tell you. That doesn’t matter. Love only grows if it’s shared.
Tell them you love them often. It’s the best gift you can give.
Pride is not worth it. Courage is.
You will never again look as good as you do right now.
Be nice to animals and children.
Tip well.
Try and maintain a work/life balance; work to Live, don’t live to work. No one ever said on their death bed, “I wish I would have spent more time at the office.”
Remember, we all had humble beginnings.
Always treat someone the way you would wish to be treated, whether family, friends, an enemy, a salesmen or your food server. It pays off in the long run.
Just remembered another one. Never use dirty words or embarrassing phrases for passwords in the office. Inevitably, you WILL have to tell a technician your password when your computer stops working.
This statement contains two common misconceptions.
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20020711213420data_trunc_sys.shtml:
Also, (WFsites) - Page Not Found
Finally, Snopes says:
Jervoise
Hunh. That is interesting, Jervoise - my information came from a doctor, but now I wonder if it’s not just erring on the side of caution. Seems to be, anyway. I DO know that too much water can, in some circumstances, be dangerous (IIRC, when you’re very dehydrated and you force fluids suddenly, there’s a possibility of sending your kidneys into shock - I seem to remember a runner dying because of this) but I would still recommend making sure you keep well-hydrated. I know for sure (from experience) that too little water can exacerbate urinary tract infections, that coffee, tea and juice are not substitutes for water just because they’re liquid, and that if you don’t pee frequently enough, you are giving bacteria a friendly environment in your bladder.
All things considered, I stand by this “secret” - nothing you posted indicates that it’s bad advice, just that it may be overcautious.
-Learn how to sharpen tools and knives and KEEP all of them sharp.
-It’s a good thing to shop for a travel agent just like you’d shop for a doctor, laywer or dentist.
-Learn how to say “Thank You” in a few different languages.
-Several regions around the country all lay claim to cooking barbeque and chili the “right” way; even thought they’re all different. The “right” way aside, I’ve rarely had bad barbeque or chili.
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First thing in the morning and last thing at night, tell your spouse you love them.
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No matter where you work, there will always be someone you dislike.
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Never show an employer you have any useful skills above what you need for your job. They will exploit these skills without compensation.
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Never let anyone talk you into abandoning your dreams or aspirations. You will forever resent them for it.
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Laugh at people who say nasty things to you, they hate that, and it helps keep you from taking it to heart.
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Never, ever, under any circumstances, shave while drunk.
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Anything with teeth can bite you, no matter how tame it is.
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Do the things that terrify you (like skydiving, moving for that perfect job etc.) they may be the greatest experiences of your life.
-Remember that every MBA, lawyer, salesman and pretty much anyone with any sense in the business world has been taught “firm handshake”, “eye contact”, “speak clearly”, “dress professionally”. Don’t forget to listen to WHAT people say, not just HOW they say it. A slick presentation should not be a substitute for a good idea.
-Fast and steady ‘wins’ the race. Slow and stead just means you’ll finsih (which is fine since we are all racing against ourselves anyway).
-In the long run, we are all dead.
-If you are considering a new career (or anything) that requires years of preparation but are worried that you will be “too old” when you finish, consider that you are going to be x years old eventually anyway. The only diference will be if you are x years old and in your new career or not.
Holding your ears closed will cure the hiccups better than any other cure you’ve heard.
I just remembered another one that one of my friends does.
Being a good guest: When someone cooks something for you, the best way to show your gratitude and appreciation is to eat every last morsel that is served to you. A “Thank you for cooking that lovely meal” is hollow if you have left half of it on your plate.
I can extend this a little further too.
Being a good date: When someone takes you somewhere for a meal, especially if they hype it up a bit and say that the restaurant is fantastic, etc; eat what you order without a single complaint. Finish it or at least give it a good go. If you don’t finish it and say that you are full, don’t order anything else. It reflects badly on you if you don’t accept the food someone buys for you.