Guiding Principles to Live By: Wisdom I Have Accumulated Over the Decades

Guiding Principles to Live By: Wisdom I Have Accumulated Over the Decades Over 6 ½ decades, including 41 ½ years teaching law, have taught me many lessons in life First, family and health come first You can never make up the time you didn’t spend with your children Your spouse is your partner in life; your children your legacy Give back Leaders lead, not follow Never forget your roots Dreams can come true, but only if you pursue them Illegitimi non Carborundum Pick your battles carefully Be nice to those you pass on the way up because you may see them again on the way down Keep debates civil; do not demonize your opponents If you prevail, leave your opponents with respect and dignity; you may need to work with them in the future Be a gracious loser; learn from your mistakes You often learn more from your setbacks than successes “Doubters do not achieve Skeptics do not contribute Cynics do not create” President Calvin Coolidge (I believe) Don’t let the minor frustrations get you down Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment Alcohol and drugs cloud judgment Always be true to yourself You cannot satisfy everyone, so do the right thing When one door closes, another opens Accept rejection by thinking “It’s their loss, not yours.” Always have a Plan B There is always a Plan B If not Plan B, then look for Plan C No one is unexpendable If you’re a lawyer, get your fee in advance Trust everyone until you have no reason to trust them again “Ye may forgive, but never forget.” Professor Jorge Carro “Trust, but verify” President Reagan Make the best decision you can at the time. If it doesn’t work out, it’s a learning experience All of life is a learning experience You learn a lot from listening, but nothing from talking You can’t take the path not taken Always be prepared You make your luck in life Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities God helps those who help themselves You can’t always win, but always do your best Keep your eyes set on the goal, but the means remain flexible Always be flexible The future will not work out as planned Someone will always be smarter, prettier or handsomer, or wealthier than you, or charismatic, but just do your best You cannot control that which you cannot control Patience is truly a virtue Do favors for others because it is the right thing to do – not because you expect something in return When you try to build yourself up by belittling others, you simply belittle yourself What goes around, comes around If you are a pessimist, it is always cloudy Pleasant personalities succeed more than dour ones in life A warm smile goes a long way O’Toole’s Commentary on Murphy’s Law: “Murphy was an optimist.” Do not rely on first impressions Neither the boss or customer is always right The cheapest alternative is often just that MapQuest and Wikipedia are often wrong A good reputation, once lost, is hard to regain You will not know who your true friends are in life until you need them You cannot eat at 67 as you did at 17 or 67 Most of all: Go where your life leads you; life is an incredible journey