Two lessons I hope my children learn from me…
- Break the rule of one. I’ve always referred to the rule of one as any time you tell one person something, expect them to tell one more person. Meaning, if you say, please don’t tell anybody, or keep this between us, the expectation should be that they will share it with one person, and, of course, that one person will share it with another. When I tell my kids to break the rule of one, what I’m saying is let the rumors, and let the stories end with them. If it’s not something positive, if it’s not something that lifts somebody else, lifts somebody up, then let it die with you. When someone says, “Hey, don’t tell anybody, but…” There’s not always a moment that you can stop them from saying whatever it is you want, they want to say to you, but what you can do is take what they say, and bury it. Bury it with you. Break the rule of one.
- The other rule, or the other life lesson, I guess, that I would hope my kids would learn from me is that truly every second does count. When you have the urge, to get up and do something about it. If you have an idea, take action. Don’t wait. Life’s funny like that. We avoid accidents by leaving when we leave. Sometimes waiting may put us in a situation that we don’t want to be in, or cause us to miss an opportunity. I mean, the winning lotto ticket was bought at the same store that I bought mine at, but I didn’t buy the winning lotto ticket. Why is that? Well, maybe because I showed up a day later. If I’d shown up the day that I said I should really get a lotto ticket, then maybe it would have been me that won. The pretty girl that you want to ask out on a date, ask her out, for if you don’t somebody else will. It’s not just you that finds the beauty in a person, others do as well. It’s not just you that thinks of the great ideas, other people do as well. The rewards go to those who take action. Knowing that every second counts matters.