10 Rules for Life

No, this isn't a self-help posting.  
This isn't an advice posting (that would violate a lower level rule of "When people ask for advice they usually don't want it.").  

TJ's Rules for Life

1. When the whole world is an asshole, it is time to look in the mirror.  This IS the first rule for life!  I sometimes have bad days, sometimes bad time-periods.  I try to realize this and cope, minimizing my potentially negative interactions.  Sometimes I just avoid personal interactions unless completely unavoidable.  A long dog-walk can go a great distance to cure this.  It is also important to remember that there are people in the world who really are assholes, but probably not the whole world.
2. Saying nothing is usually the best option.  "Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."-Plato   I can't count the number of times I've consciously kept my mouth shut and it was the right choice.  Too many people love to talk and can consistently talk themselves into a problem or end up talking about nothing at all marginalizing what they say.  If a person rarely talks, when they do say something others are more inclined to listen.
3. Just because it is free, doesn't mean you want it.
   Being born into a cheap family, I used to love anything free.  I learned free stuff is often free for a reason.  Often, free stuff isn't really free.  Many free things end up unused or junk.  Unrequisited free things can lead to more 'stuff' and more stuff tends to clutter life, not improve it.  This rule is not:  Don't take anything that is free.
4. The cheapest bid is almost never the best deal.
   I've learned this more than once.  I'm sure I'll need to learn this again.  Most have to learn this the hard way.  The word "almost" is in this rule and needs to be.
5. Going with a more expensive option doesn't mean better service or outcome.
   This rule took longer to learn since I first had to learn and live Rule 4.  Rule 5 must follow Rule 4.  I had to learn that salespeople lie, options and services don't always match expectations and money can not buy some things.  I also call this the Champion Siding Rule - their bid for siding was very high, their service was terrible and the results were merely adequate.
6. If there are doubts, wait 12 hours before hitting the Send button.
   This is important, especially if it is on a day when the whole world is an asshole.  Draft emails are wonderful to allow reflection and revision before sending.  Sometimes changing, adding or deleting a few sentences can make a world of difference.  A corollary to this is that conflict is never resolved by email (and nobody's mind had ever been changed by a 'comments' posting).  In a slower time, this was probably true for sending mail letters, but the promise of pain could be more drawn-out.
7. When people say, "I'm Sorry." they usually are not.
   I'm sorry, but this is an absolute truth.  I try very hard to only apologize when I mean it.
8. Don't expect anyone to be a mind reader.
   I very often find myself hoping for someone to catch an unspoken meaning.  Or to interpret actions to understand the motivation.  This is self-destructive.  I should be open (I'm not) and honest.
9. Don't expect something not to be done because doing it would be stupid.
   Lots of people do things that can be interpreted as dumb.  Lots of things are done that are dumb.  This is also the management rule. Management will do dumb things since their motivation is different and sometimes unexplainable.
10. If you are very concerned with how something is going to be done, do it yourself.  This is the Ann Landers Rule.  It applies to small things:  If you don't like the way your significant other does the dishes or mops the floor, shut up and do it yourself.  It applies to big things:  If you don't like the way your coworker is handling a project, be prepared to step up.

Three very important things to note:

• This is not a static list.  This list and its order has changed over the years.  It is called learning; something I hope to continue to do until the day I die.
• This is my list.  If someone doesn't agree with something on it, they are free to write their own and try to live by it.  I will feel free to steal other's rules as my own.
• I reserve the right to repost this with modified explanations and revisions (see first bullet point).  I also reserve the right to contradict myself.

I keep this list on my Google Drive so I have access to it just about anywhere.  

I value order and tidiness so I keep my Windows Desktop typically very clean - a few shortcuts, a few transient files I'm (supposed to be) working on and this list.  The fact that this document sits permanently on my Desktop demonstrates its value.  I open it occasionally since I honestly believe these "rules" can help me in life.

  

If only it were this easy.