Life's Little Instructions
Sing in the shower
● Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated
● Watch a sunrise at least once a year
● Leave the toilet seat in the down position
● Never refuse homemade brownies
● Strive for excellence, not perfection
● Plant a tree on your birthday
● Learn three clean jokes
● Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full
● Compliment three people every day
● Never waste an opportunitity to tell someone you love them
● Leave everything a little better than you found it
● Keep it simple
● Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures
● Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know
● Floss your teeth
● Ask for a raise when you feel you’ve earned it
● Be forgiving of yourself and others
● Overtip breakfast waitresses
● Say “thank you” a lot
● Say “please” a lot
● Avoid negative people
● Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards
● Wear polished shoes
● Remember other people’s birthdays
● Commit yourself to constant improvement
● Carry jumper cables in your trunk
● Have a firm handshake
● Send lots of Valentine’s cards. Sign them, “Someone who thinks you’re terrific.”
● Look people in the eye
● Be the first to say, “Hello”
● Use the good silver
● Return all things you borrow
● Make friends but cherish the old ones
● Keep secrets
● Sing in a choir
● Plant flowers every spring
● Have a dog
● Always accept an outstretched hand
● Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life
● Wave at kids on school buses
● Be there when people need you
● Feed a stranger’s expired parking meter
● Don’t expect life to be fair
● Never underestimate the power of love
● Drink champagne for no reason at all
● Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation
● Don’t be afraid to say, “I made a mistake”
● Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”
● Compliment even small improvements
● Keep your promises (no matter what)
● Marry only for love
● Rekindle old friendships
● Count your blessings
● Call your mother
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For as long as I can remember, these have been on a poster in my grandmother's house. They have always been a refreshing reminder to me and I hope they might be the same for you.