“Your father probably told you a few things, but just in case he wasn’t around enough, here are some words of wisdom you might have missed out on:” – tickld.com*

*All writing and ideas in this article belong to tickld.com, I claim no ownership of the contents herein except for the discussion afterwards. The original post can be found here.

1. If you aren’t confident, fake it. It will come.
2. Buy a plunger before you need a plunger.
3. Never hit anyone unless they are an immediate threat.
4. Every hat should serve a purpose.
5. Never take her to the movies on the first date.
6. Learn to wet shave.
7. Nothing looks more badass than a well-tailored suit.
8. Shave with the grain on the first go-around.
9. Always look a person in the eye when you talk to them.
10. Never have sex with anyone that doesn’t want it as much as you.
11. Exercise makes you happy. Run, lift, and play sports.
12. Brush your teeth before you put on your tie.
13. A small amount of your paycheck should go directly to your savings account every month.
14. Call your parents every week.
15. Never wear a clip-on tie.
16. Give a firm handshake.
17. Compliment her shoes.
18. Never leave a pint unfinished.
19. Go for women you perceive to be “out of your league.” You’ll surprise yourself.
20. You can tell the size of a man by the size of things that bother him.
21. Be conscious of your body language.
22. The only reason to ever point a gun at someone is if you intend to shoot them.
23. Always stand to shake someone’s hand.
24. Never lend anything you can’t afford to lose.
25. Ask more than you answer. Everybody likes to talk about themselves.
26. Keep a change of clothes at the office.
27. Buy high quality tools, so you only have to buy them once.
28. Manliness is not only being able to take care of yourself, but others as well.
29. Go with the decision that will make for a good story.
30. When you walk, look straight ahead, not at your feet.
31. Nice guys don’t finish last. Boring guys do.
32. Find your passion and figure out how to get paid for it.
33. Don’t let the little head do the thinking for the big head.
34. No matter their job or status in life, everyone deserves your respect.
35. The most important thing you can learn is personal responsibility. Bad things happen, it’s your job to overcome them.
36. The first one to get angry loses.
37. Do what needs to be done without complaining. It won’t help speed things up.
38. Never stop learning.
39. Always go out into public dressed like you’re about to meet the love of your life.
40. Don’t change yourself just to make someone happy, unless that someone is you.
41. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
42. Luck favors the prepared.
43. Women find confidence sexy as hell.
44. Do whatever you want to do in life, but be the best at it.
45. No one is on their deathbed wishing they spent more time at work. Enjoy your life.

 

While these words of wisdom are very straight-male-centric, I think they offer sage advice for any reader. As they were not written by me, they are presented in full and unedited form with the author credited at the top. In this series on Life, we’ve discussed a beautiful tribute to man’s best friend and jumped into the mind of Hollywood’s Zenmaster, Jeff Bridges. But while those articles delve into a deeper perspective on Life, Tickld.com provides more practical advice that I’ve found to be true:

“If you aren’t confident, fake it. It will come.” Confidence is an important quality. Too many of my friends suffer from a crippling lack of self-esteem. One says he feels “uncomfortable in his own skin” because of his body image, another never recovered from severe childhood bullying. If you don’t have it, faking confidence is no easy task. But having confidence in yourself will build a personal firewall that will protect you from anxious situations, failures, rejections, insults, and mistakes. Everyone deserves to be confident in themselves and to feel secure about who they are, regardless of what other people think.

“You can tell the size of a man by the size of things that bother him.” “The most important thing you can learn is personal responsibility. Bad things happen, it’s your job to overcome them.” Life is tough, and it’s tough for nearly everyone. Get over it. Life is going to constantly place hurdles and obstacles in your path and it’s your job to overcome them. Part of overcoming the barrage of problems Life will throw at you is realizing what are true crises, the rest is just detail. If you obsess over the small imperfections and complications, you are sure to be unhappy. The happiest people among us are those who can brave the storm with unwavering calm and clarity. As mentioned earlier, confidence in yourself to overcome hardship will go a long way. This piece of advice means that we are measured by the things we choose to be upset about. The “size of a man” simply means one’s resolve, strength, or worth (and obviously applies to women too). If you are constantly angry and upset over the little things, then your metaphorical “size” will be just so: little. No one exhibits this better than The Dude, Jeff Bridges. He believes life moves on, so you just have to abide.

“Do whatever you want to do in life, but be the best at it.” “Find your passion and figure out how to get paid for it.”  We live in a world where money greases the gears of our society, especially in America. If you can find a way to monetize your skills and passions, you’ll do well. But more important than that is choosing a path that employs the full extent of your interests, skills, passion, and effort; something which you can be the best at and something which you want to be the best at.

“No matter their job or status in life, everyone deserves your respect.” “Never hit anyone unless they are an immediate threat.” “Never have sex with anyone that doesn’t want it as much as you.” If everyone abided by these rules, the world would be a much better place. We all need to have the gumption to treat each and every person on this Earth with respect and care. Your character is how you act when you think no one is looking.

“Go with the decision that will make for a good story.” “No one is on their deathbed wishing they spent more time at work. Enjoy your life.” On that thought, look out for the next article in this series on Bucket Lists.