E-Mail me with your comments and/or questions.
o Save some money every week, no matter if it's only $10 or $15.
o Keep a journal where you write down what you think about things
in your life. This will serve as a history for you as well as
a meter of growth.
o Learn a trade, and throw yourself head first into it. Don't just
spend eight hours a day learning your job. That one or two extra
hours a day you can put in learning what you need to know (yes,
off the clock) can enhance your standing and your abilities beyond
measure.
o Be patient, yet persistent, because you won't be able to learn
everything about your job in a day, a week, or even a month.
o Learn to be a hard worker, reliable, dependable, consistent,
thorough, confident, loyal and dedicated. (Well, these days you
may have to "fake" the loyalty, but every thing else counts.)
o Learn to "work smart", remember: it's not how hard you work but
how much work you get done that counts.
o Always aspire to and strive for excellence.
o Read the trade journals that are related to your chosen
profession as often as possible. The more you keep up with your
profession, the better off you'll be in your livelyhood.
o Be mobile in the job market. The days of a company taking a
person on board and guaranteeing them a job for 35 or 40
years are over. That concept died with the 70's. It's just
that many people don't realize it yet.
o Become so good at whatever you do that you can develop into
a consultant or be able to work for yourself.
o Read the want ads to make sure that you continue to be
compensated fairly for your current level of experience,
learning, and job responsibilities.
o Develop some good, steadfast friendships with your colleagues.
You never know when you'll have to have some reliable references
for a job. Every job I have ever applied for asked for
references.
o Find a mentor who has nothing more than an altruistic interest
in seeing you do well in life and whatever you decide to learn.
Talk with him about the things you need to know and most
importantly, LISTEN to your mentor. He's been there and he knows
the pitfalls and the correct path.
o Write people and let them know you care about them.
o Learn to speak and write well. This comes through practice, but
these are skills that many people never develop. These skills
will serve you well in any field you go into.
o Don't hold grudges, they waste time and energy.
o Read a good newspaper every day.
o Read at least one book per month. More if possible.
o Learn to like yourself, then maybe someday loving yourself will
come easy. I happen to believe that despite what Whitney Houston
says, it is not possible to love yourself until you like yourself
on a consistent basis.
o Give out Love and Light to others and you'll be amazed at how
this pays off.
o Forget the fact that you are immortal. None of us are. It
didn't dawn on me that I wasn't immortal till I was 28.
o Be concerned with your health and nutrition. Eat right, take
vitamins, and watch out for the addictive stuff: drugs, alcohol,
cigarrettes, and caffeine.
o Set a goal to live to be 80. That way you'll remember not to
wear your body out too fast. I used to know people who would
say, "I want to live fast, die young, and leave a good looking
corpse." Don't do that!
o Don't get married too young, anything younger than 25 is too
young.
o Respect your elders.
o Be kind, considerate, and understanding of EVERYONE, you'll be
amazed at how well this will pay off.
o Read Mark Twain short stories and books.
o Read T.S. Eliot's and e.e. cummings' poetry.
o Go to a symphony now and then.
o Spend an afternoon every 4 - 6 weeks in an art museum.
o Listen to Andreas Vollenweider music.
o Don't procratinate.
o Keep this list and refer to it from time to time. Add your
own sage advice to it when you think of it.
o Don't forget the Bill's Rules of Life (shown below):
-= Bill's Rules of Life =-
1. Life is not necessarily "fair".
2. "Reality", as we know it, is basically a giant illusion
and a minute speck of time in the immensness of Eternity.
3. Love and Friendship are among the most powerful forces
in the Universe.
4. Perception is everything.
5. God, is a loving, caring God, and does not require being
"bought off" with churchgoers' money.
6. Because this reality is so ephemeral, it behooves us to
love, encourage, and give to people as often as possible.
7. It is easier to tear down goodwill between people, than it
is to create it.
8. The forces for Good, in this Universe, will eventually
triumph over the forces of evil.
9. To be true to oneself in Life, you have to talk your walk
and walk your talk.
10. We are creatures with souls, who are beautiful beings
of Light. We are much more powerful, when our talents
are used properly, than any of us ever imagine.
11. The day you stop learning, is the day you start dying.
12. Death truly is just the great transition out of this Life
into the next. It will be an experience we will be glad
about AFTER it happens.
13. One person cannot, nor should not control the lives of
others.
14. Life is a learning experience, and a preparation for the
Life that comes after this one.
15. As long as a person is living, there is an opportunity
for them to change for the better. Therefore
we must never give up hope for ourselves, and for others.
Last Updated on September 6, 1998
By Bill Slater