Great Life Lessons You Have Learned

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**Easy E**

This thread is for you to tell stories about situations that taught you great life lessons that you still hold onto today, and have helped shape you into you. Feel free to share the lesson you drew from the story too.

For example, when I was working two full-time jobs to pay for over-full time University I worked as a salesman at a large chain that is no longer in business. Back in those days, they paid you commission on what you sold, and on how many extended servce plans you sold. I sold appliances.

One day, we got a new boss and he was touring the store and talking to all the salespeople. He walked up to the guy across the aisle from my in the Computer section, looked at his clipboard and started dressing the dude down for having hair longer than his collar. I listened to the tirade for a few minutes, slowly getting more worried as I had hair down past my shoulders. I hadn't had a real hair cut since I started College.

Finally, after watching this other guy get bawled out for 15 minutes, the manager comes over to me. Now, I'm sweaty bullets and looking around nervously for am excuse to bolt out of line of sight. The new boss comes over, looks me up and down, glances at his clipboard and says....

"Nice work. Keep it up." Then walks along to the next person.

Lesson I learned: If you are knocking it out of the park (whatever park it is) no one is going to get in your grill. Therefore, if you want to get people out of your way, just be really, really good at what you do.

This lesson has served me well for many years and through many projects.

**mattyrm**

Do to others as they do unto you, and then feth off before the police arrive.

**Frazzled**

-Family isn't the most important thing in life. Its the only important thing.

-Steak, chocolate, queso, and violins playing Pachabel are proof of the existence of God.

-Don't change your gear until you're coming out of the bank and kick those cleats to keep the ass end down on a jump. Landing on the guy in front of you is bad.

-You know you've changed when you go from "wow that gal is hot" to "wow that gal is hot and I need to introduce her to the Boy."

**Bromsy**

mattyrm wrote:
Do to others as they do unto you, and then feth off before the police arrive.

I thought it was "Do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you, and always carry a shovel."

**Tibbsy**

mattyrm wrote:
Do to others as they do unto you, and then feth off before the police arrive.

I lol'd - Exalted!

I have nothing specific to share, just a general thing. I've always tried to have good timekeeping (for everything, not just work. This has involved me being on time in the pub, and waiting there for up to 10 minutes before anyone else arrives.

) I'm also in early for work pretty much every morning. And, in work I always try to do everything asked of me to the best of my ability. This has resulted in getting volunteered to move to a different department when they needed an extra pair of hands, so I did. It's far more interesting than what I was doing before, and they don't want to give me back

It's also resulted in work allowing me time off to pursue a foundation degree qualification part time, and they're even paying the bill for the course.

**whembly**

Frazzled wrote:
-Family isn't the most important thing in life. Its the only important thing.

-Steak, chocolate, queso, and violins playing Pachabel are proof of the existence of God.

-Don't change your gear until you're coming out of the bank and kick those cleats to keep the ass end down on a jump. Landing on the guy in front of you is bad.

-You know you've changed when you go from "wow that gal is hot" to "wow that gal is hot and I need to introduce her to the Boy."

LOL! THIS!

I'll also add this: "You are NOT responsible for other people's happiness."

**AlmightyWalrus**

whembly wrote:

I'll also add this: "You are NOT responsible for other people's happiness."

I'll add: "But that doesn't mean you should be an ass to people just because you can".

**Ahtman**

Your attitude determines the world you get, not the other way around.

**AustonT**

Chicks who look 18 and say they are 20 are 16.

If you aren't cheating, you are not trying.

Other countries consider soccer a sport.

**timetowaste85**

Don't drink the pickle juice from the jar until you've finished eating all the pickles. It turns out that taking a pickle to the eye hurts.

Don't stick your D!<k in crazy.

When living with parents/roommates in college, always lock the door before surfing internet porn.

Don't pick up your wife at a family reunion. Southerners may ignore this, as it would leave the South barren.

**Beer_&_Bolters**

Dont think with your crotch - this goes for men and women.

All women are trouble, a few are worth it.

Dont call to complain to the Armanian restaurant manager during the lunch rush, you are stupid and wasting his time.

**AustonT**

doest thou manage an Armenian restaurant?

**KalashnikovMarine**

In a fight the only honorable outcome is victory, fight dirty.

Be courteous, be polite, but have a plant to kill everyone you meet.

Unyielding Tenacity is just as useful as the other virtues, and will carry you further.

He who works hardest and fastest before a deadline gets to slack off the most, work today, procrastinate procrastinating till tomorrow.

The people who are closest to you are the people who can damage you the most. Plan and pick the people you let close accordingly.

Bureaucracy is a little piece of hell on earth where you're condemned for bothering the gods of paperwork with silly things like "hope"

**Beer_&_Bolters**

AustonT wrote:
doest thou manage an Armenian restaurant?

Not I. I was waiting to be seated at this restaurant when the manager received the phone call. Hilarity ensued as this dude ripped the caller a new one.

**AustonT**

MATTIS!

**kronk**

KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don't make stuff more complicated than it needs to be.

Don't mix quick-krete with your bare hands, feet, or other body parts.

**timetowaste85**

Don't eat yellow snow. This follows the same philosophy as "don't drink the kiddy pool water".

**SoloFalcon1138**

Moderation in all things...

Except Star Wars toys...

**Talizvar**

If due to poor planning you get caught in a fight, finish it in any expedient way possible: his friends might be coming.

This law for me keeps getting more deep: "Love everyone, trust no-one".

Never, never, assume someone knows something of interest to you more than you. You would be impressed how many "experts" only know surface deep what you know after some careful research.

True "experts" are the nice people who say "I am just learning" and will give any and all advice freely: they enjoy it so much they cannot apply a price to what they know.

Extremely smart friends make you in turn smarter.

Always get the paper version of a rule book ASAP, the coffee table versions can cause a nose bleed when reading on your back.

When you feel low in self esteem and feel inadequate, look around: some nasty piece of work is doing this to you.

When painting, you can never have enough lighting.

NEVER throw out that old pingpong table, it is gaming gold.

Try green stuff sculpting: it is easier than play-dough and gets better results than you would have thought.

Be a member of a like minded forum, it is a "hive mind" that pays back huge dividends when you are stuck on something or for inspiration (thanks all!).

About it for now...

Oh, and do not put caffeine in the humming bird feeder.

**Mr Nobody**

No man believes he plays the role of villain.

**daedalus**

Look out for number one.

Don't eat the worm.

**CT GAMER**

Dropped food is still ok to eat as long as you pick it up in 5 sec. or less

If it happened in college it doesn't count

**Seaward**

KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Be courteous, be polite, but have a plant to kill everyone you meet.

Like a Venus fly trap, or do you mean like a chemical manufacturing facility that slowly poisons the workers?

**AustonT**

Seaward wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Be courteous, be polite, but have a plant to kill everyone you meet.

Like a Venus fly trap, or do you mean like a chemical manufacturing facility that slowly poisons the workers?

It's a Mattisism, or from Team Fortress(who took it from Mattis) I think it implies shaking a mans hand while figuring out how much noise he would make if you used your belt as a garote. Maybe that's just me. A wise man that Mattis.

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

**KalashnikovMarine**

Seaward wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Be courteous, be polite, but have a plant to kill everyone you meet.

Like a Venus fly trap, or do you mean like a chemical manufacturing facility that slowly poisons the workers?

I line my knives with nightshade as it happens.

**Seaward**

AustonT wrote:
It's a Mattisism, or from Team Fortress(who took it from Mattis) I think it implies shaking a mans hand while figuring out how much noise he would make if you used your belt as a garote. Maybe that's just me. A wise man that Mattis.

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

Yep. I was making fun of the "plant" typo. Have a plant to kill everyone you meet.

YOU GUYS RUIN ALL MY JOKES GOD

**AustonT**

My bad

**Cheesecat**

Ahtman wrote:
Your attitude determines the world you get, not the other way around.

I disagree, I think wealth, geography, culture, etc play important roles as well.

**dogma**

AustonT wrote:

If you aren't cheating, you are not trying.

Most definitely.

KalashnikovMarine wrote:
In a fight the only honorable outcome is victory, fight dirty.

Also this, and not only in physical fights.

**Orlanth**

Control your finances to avoid interest in all its forms. Avoid all forms of credit unless truly necessary, whenever possible go without and save rather than buy and pay interest later.
If you learn and abide by this simple lesson you will be able to make your money go a lot further and over time appear richer and more comfortable than many others who earn more than you.