I wouldn’t dare defile Douglas Adam’s memory by not mentioning that you should keep a towel with you at all times, but my second contender is a surprisingly short three-parter:
- never lie.
- never tell the whole truth.
- never pass up a chance to use a real bathroom.
If everywhere you go smells like shit, check your shoes.
So is this intended as kind of a metaphor or is this mainly aimed at people who have literally stepped in real shit?
Both. It’s like the saying “Governing a big country is like cooking small fish.” (With the explanation that if you keep poking it, it’ll disintegrate) also taught me how to cook fish as well as realpolitik.
The fish advice was most useful.
Pretty sure its a metaphor for being an asshole
If everyone around you is an asshole, you’re the asshole.
It’s a metaphor for people who smell whipped cream all the time, they should check on top of their head.
This is a metaphor for life in general. If you find that all your interactions are negative, check yourself. Are you the problem in your relationships and interactions? How can you fix that? Clean your shoes.
It’s both
Never tie your finances to that of a crazy person.
Don’t mistake jealousy for respect
Pay attention to what you’re doing
Do you mean envy here, or actual jealousy?
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
Ride smooth not fast has won me some mountain bike races.
I first heard it in the context of carpentry, but I’ve since heard it in kitchens as well.
“Fast” is the biggest number in a straight line. Life rarely offers straight lines.
you can be skilled at cornering too, that will make you faster on them
It’s true, but you need the skill, and buying an expensive car will only get you so far.
Every line is straight in a subset of coordinate systems.
Get a VPN and pirate everytime!
cant stress this enough.
they will always find a way to screw you for your money, don’t play their game.
Confidence isn’t about being confident but acting confident. Act confident and life will be a lot easier.
Faking confidence means running your life as a con job.
It’s better to acknowledge when you feel insecure, find the root reason why, and then develop solutions to the unsolved problems giving you that lack of confidence.
For some people it’s as simple as their pelvis being out of whack. In some cases, all you need is a rolfing session.
Except if you want to do good science. Good scientists will identify false confidence and will aim to steer well clear of it
Scientists ideally shouldn’t apply rules of thumb to their research!
Think before you speak, I speak without thinking and it’s got me in trouble for petty things. Using WE over YOU is extremely valuable… even when you had nothing to do with the problem it is OUR problem.
“We” should vacuum the house! *wink* *wink*
I’ve found that one of the best ways to ensure I think before I speak, is to pause before I speak.
A wise teacher told me to carry a bottle of water, always.
Nobody will stop you from taking a sip, which is really an excuse to pause.
Take your time, slow and steady is faster than quick and dirty
Tell that to literally every company that produces anything.
Do not, and I can’t stress this enough! Put your dick, in crazy…
That usrname tho. What you just said hits different.
…at least, not until after the vasectomy.
proceeds to get std
But I can fix them!!!
↖️This is the real life pro-tip right here
Listen or act like you’re listening. People love the validation that comes with being given undivided attention. The opposite is also true.
This is great advice. It’s not difficult once you get good at it; but there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being in a real two-way conversation where you know the other person is actually listening to what you’re saying, not just hearing the sounds. I feel like I can count on both hands the number of real conversations I’ve had where I felt truly respected and heard.
Be kind
Rewind
Simple and to the point, everyone should know and follow this. One of the best pieces of advice from the Dalai Lama
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
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If someone says X, but does Y, this doesn’t mean they are not right about X.
Other example, if someone is raising public awareness about littering in nature and is then caught throwing a plastic bottle into a forest, does that mean they are wrong?
Sure, it’s shitty, but that doesn’t make them wrong in saying that people shouldn’t do it, even if they are not living up to their own words.
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I prefer the words of the Dalton Lama: “Be nice. Until it’s time … to not be nice.”
No matter how kind you are, the German children are kinder.
Hydrate. Stick to water.
kidney stones are NOT nice.
drink water removed, your body needs that shit
My wife, who gave two births, was in a car accident and fought through hell to survive, still rate kidney stones as the most painful thing in her life.
I said would she rather take a bullet to the leg? She said she’d take two over a kidney stone.
All of this can be resolved just by drinking water.
Never take time for granted - expect you’ll have less of it than you want or need.
It can really help with getting priorities straight - whether that’s with work or with your personal life. Where is it exactly you want to spend the most valuable and limited resource you have? Your time?
Mind your business
Leave it better than you found it.
Goes for your home, your neighborhood, or something you’ve borrowed. It can be applied to the planet, the beach, the trail, the car, the job.
Hell, it even goes for people. Leave them a little happier, a little wiser, a little more prosperous than before.
Second rule, give people the benefit of the doubt and don’t attribute an action as the person. Did they cut you off on the road? They’re having a bad day and made a mistake. They’re speeding? Maybe they are on the way to see a loved one without much longer to live. Don’t call someone an asshole just because they made an asshole move. People are so much more than that one interaction with them.
Funny enough, these have analogs in programming!
Leave it better than you found it.
The Boyscouts rule! Clean up bad code if you can!
Second rule, give people the benefit of the doubt and don’t attribute an action as the person.
Sometimes you gotta write janky code to meet a deadline. That is not a personal failure. And give folks a break who do it too.
Hell, it even goes for people. Leave them a little happier, a little wiser, a little more prosperous than before.
I like that. Thank you. I’ll try.
