15 Minutes Can Save You . . .
Geico is always saying that 15 minutes can save you 15 percent or more on your car insurance. I’m going to boast that by skimming through this list of life lessons you will find at least one good idea you can use—and it will take less than 15 minutes to do it.
NO EXCUSES One of the many things I learned from my late friend Sunshine is that we can’t blame our past for our present failures. Sunshine would always say, “You think you had it rough, I was abandoned as a baby and bounced from foster home to foster home. I was widowed three time. My home burned to the ground with everything in it. Still, I believe in abundance, possibilities, and owning my failures and my successes.” What she said.
TIME
Not everyone is a morning person, but most successful people are. The truth is, if we don’t do what’s most important by lunch, there’s a good chance we will not do it at all. Also, by doing the worst first (or first things first) we can leave the little stuff to do later in the day and end on a high note by checking off a bunch of easy tasks from our to-do list.
HUMILITY
When we don’t know what we don’t know, we won’t grow—and eventually will end up looking like an idiot. It’s actually a show of strength when we can admit we don’t know something and be open to learning it from another person.
MENTAL HEALTH
“You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself.” Ricky Nelson sang these words in the song Garden Party, and they still ring true. You can’t live your life trying to please others. Trust me, I’ve tried and failed. It’s so freeing to let go of worrying what others will think of us, or living beyond our means (in time and money) to impress others. Let it go.
WORK ETHIC
If we’re going to do something, we should do it right. Attention to detail isn’t always noticed by others, but sloppiness is. Sure, some things just need to be done quickly, but triple checking we did it right, doing a little something extra to polish it off and stand out, and caring about quality is the difference between good and great.
ORGANIZING
The things we use the most should be within the easiest to get access, while the things we need the least can be stored our of reach. Whether you like to leave things out or store your stuff away, if you can find what you need when you need it, you’re organized in my book.
PARTNERSHIPS
We should surround ourselves with people smarter than us. Better than us. More connected than us. More experienced. Older, and younger than us. Then we need to give to get. Think of it like a checking account. We begin with a zero balance. To build up equity we must do something for the other person first. Only then can we ask for something in return.
THE BIG IDEA
If my house were on fire I would grab my wife and kids, my computer, and my idea book—it’s that important to me. Having a place to store good ideas is one of the best pieces of advice I could give someone with vision, ambition, and a desire to be on Shark Tank someday.
BRANDING
In the song, Limelight by Rush they sing, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” If you decide to not brand yourself, someone else will. Decide who you want to be and then live that brand with your words and actions. Dress the part, make your voice mail recording, e-mail signature, social media all match that message.
Part 1 of 3
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