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A Letter to Myself
Jul. 6th, 2012 11:58 amI like long plane trips: it gives me time to think and re-evaluate. On the Seattle-to-Midway leg of our trip home from the Vancouver IAGSDC convention, I wrote the following list as a letter to myself. I only now need to invent some sort of time machine for sending email back to myself in, say, 1980 or so...
- Never speak when angry or upset.
- It's OK to ask for an outside opinion, especially when you're in unfamiliar territory.
- It's OK to say no.
- Listen to your body. It may not comply to your scheduled day but will always win in the end, one way or another.
- Before unleashing your inner perfectionist control queen, ask yourself: is the payoff worth it?
- Procrastination frequently comes from over-committing, a lack of clarity, laziness or fear. Get moving again by identifying the cause and addressing it directly.
- Details matter.
- Being brief & concise is an art. A really valuable one.
- Delegation is good management.
- Self-discipline, preparation and time/resource management are the paving stones of the path to success, whatever your goal may be.
- Truly worthwhile things are rarely easy. Practice matters.
- Be generous with advice but only when asked. And accept that your advice may be ignored anyway.
- Making a mistake is OK. Not fixing it promptly when discovered is not.
- Learn both to give and accept a compliment sincerely and gracefully.
- Surprise a friend by taking him/her out to dinner.
- Forgive enemies and let go of grudges.
- Forgive yourself. In fact, schedule some personal inventory, congrats & forgiveness once per month.
- If you can't remember why you're angry at someone, it's probably time to let go of the emotion.
- An annual emotional housekeeping exercise is a good idea.
- Take a vacation from the Internet periodically.
- Practise saying:
- I was mistaken
- You're welcome
- I'm glad you're my friend
- I love you
- Thank you
- I'm sorry
- I was mistaken
- Spend time with pets. You are their universe, and they can teach you more about life than any book.
- Time is your most precious commodity. Avoid those who fritter away theirs and yours.
- You are measured by your contributions & company, not your car or possessions.
- Get away from the TV as much as possible.
- Audio books are awesome!
- Have you volunteerred or given to charity this week?
- Every morning, list & prioritize six goals for the day. Be flexible but don't be distracted.
- Nearly everything in life is a choice --including not to choose. Own your decision.
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