21 Suggestions

At work in the break room, there's a framed sign of H. Jackson Brown, Jr.'s "21 Suggestions for Success." I liked them from the first time I saw them, and today I took a couple minutes and copied them down. I thought I'd post them and maybe comment on them.

But then I discovered that they're all over the internet--in tiny, hard-to-read fonts and in big, easy-reading fonts. They're tucked in the text of speeches that people gave and in newsletters online. Based on Google, it looks as though I'm the last to know about the 21 Suggestions.

I don't care, though. I'm an optimist, and I choose to believe that there's somebody out there who hasn't heard of them, hasn't read them, and would love for me to post them here. I would love for me to post them here, so I will.

21 Suggestions for Success
by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

Oops. I messed up number one right from the get-go. But I got two wonderful kids out of the deal, and that's not too shabby.

Umm... number two is a problem too. But it gets better after that.

I'm cheerful, positive (did I say "optimist"?). I once had a co-vanpool rider accuse me (yes, "accuse" is the right word) of being a "Pollyanna." Now, I wouldn't go quite that far, but on a scale of one (angry, sputtering, hateful) to Pollyanna, I do tend to lean in her direction.

For number 18, I need to come clean. Back on my Blogiversary, I blamed others for my decisions. I blamed Hugh Hewitt for getting me started blogging. And I blamed AOL for my lovely name, SkyePuppy. Hugh was my inspiration, but it was completely my decision to start this blog and to continue it most days. AOL was simply the screen-name hostage-taker that spurred me into my family history, out of which I personally, responsibly chose my name.

I feel better now.

Go, thou, and be successful, and make your Mom proud.