10 MORE Thoughts From a Middle Aged Man

Back in June I did a post regarding a few “rules” I check in with fairly regularly. It seemed to go over pretty well and I had a few more up my sleeve.  They are neither wrong nor right but have served me well.  Checking back to them makes me money, keeps me sane, and most of all keeps me smiling every day.  I thought I would share

1. Don’t screw around with crazy.   There are a lot of people out there that are not all there mentally.  It is best to avoid them all together.  Getting into war of words or a physical confrontation is going to hurt you more than it hurts them.  In most cases these people have nothing to lose and your attention is all they were seeking in the first place. Don’t give it to them. Their actions are not rational so there is no reasoning with them.  Smile or ignore is the best response.

2.  Don’t worry about things you can’t control. A perfect example.  People ask me every day about the weather.  My answer is simple.  I don’t worry about it.  What good is worrying about something you have zero control over?  I react. I prepare.  I don’t like when we have record drought and temperatures, but worrying takes away energy from actual thinking.  Do your best to prepare for things and react to the rest.  The middle is for doing

3.  A good buy IS NOT a good sell.  A good buy is only a good buy if you can sell it.  Shit is cheap but nobody wants to buy shit

4. The best thing you can do for your kids is love their mother.    A healthy home and a healthy business is a hard combination.  Never take for granted those that do the personal things for you that help you become successful.  Success is never accomplished alone.  I don’t always remember to live by my words but have found that a simple thank your on a regular basis will make others more willing to help and care.

5.  On the job training is much more important than classroom or instructional learning.  You can’t always get it, but if you want to REALLY learn something, learn and do it with someone that knows how to do and is doing it.  For 75% of people college is a waste of money.  It can cost $100,000 to pay for a four year period of learning to live on your own and be on vacation until you have to work.  Most would have been better taking the $100K and taking a lower entry job in the field of their choice.  Of course this is not true for all, but more often than people are willing to admit.  Skills are skills, regardless of where they learned them.  Yes, my daughter is going to college because growing up and learning about life has its value as well.

6.  Your health should never be taken for granted.  We get one body, one mind.  They need to be worked and pushed to keep them from falling apart.  There is nothing cool or special about getting 6 hours of sleep a night.  The fact is most people need to eat healthier and get more sleep.  We all go through periods that we are less than healthy but there are common traits of the people that live in pain after 50.  Bad knees, bad backs. All form carrying too much weight for countless years.  Dead people and people in pain can’t enjoy the riches they’ve earned.

7.  You need to be uncomfortable at least once a day.  It’s how we grow. It’s how we overcome fear.  Its that been there, done that gives us confidence.   Many people don’t want to be uncomfortable.  It’s not pleasant, adds worry, and takes us to non familiar places.  If you control the moves into uncomfortable you’ll be much more prepared when you go to those same places when you’re not in control.  I use this in my running every day.  At some point I need to run hard enough that it hurts and to the point my body tells me that I am not in a good place.  If I get there enough times, my body get to the point that it’s not uncomfortable and my mind will let go of that built in protectionism and let me stay comfortable.  This little bit uncomfortable method works well in all parts of life for me.

8.  Travel several times a year.  See the world as much as you can.  Technology has made it that we all can conduct business from anywhere in the world.  No excuses.  Don’t want to be away from the kids?  Take them.   I like to take one sightseeing vacation and one relaxation vacation each year.  I get this from my Mom.  She loves to travel.  She traveled even when she couldn’t afford it.  She decided that she would rather have a little less at home if that meant she could go see the world.  Of course this was after the kids moved out.  She may have traveled because we never did growing up.

9.  The best business owners aren’t necessarily the ones that are the shrewdest business people. They are the ones that can pick good talent.  People that can take the vision and make it happen.  A good business is exactly that.  A collection of people.  The old saying is hire someone better than you and get of their way.  Couldn’t be more true.  Managing them is a pain in the ass and many feel its easier to just not, but big things are hard to accomplish alone.

10.  There is always somebody better than you just around the corner so don’t worry about being the best.  Don’t worry about others.  Worry about yourself.  Criticism comes from those that are insecure and feel that bringing others down will help them rise.  You’re aren’t the best but that’s no reason to quit trying to be better each day.  If you think you can’t go any higher then I can guarantee that you’re 100% correct.  Can’t go higher? Go latterly and move up.  Your goals should never be based on where others are.  The true achievers set personal goals that are exactly that personal.  The guy that looks back to see if the others are catching them is the guy that gets passed because he wasted energy turning around.