18 Life Reminders We All Need to Be Reminded Of!
Have you ever noticed how great it feels when someone you have only met once calls you by your first name the next time you see them? For me, it is the one thing that someone can do that gives me a great early impression of them.
Conversely, when someone forgets my name, I don’t hold it against them, but it definitely does not make a good impression.
And if someone forgets my name a few times, then I really start to wonder about them. A great example is a guy who lives in my building that parks near me.
Every time he sees me, he says, “Remind me your name again?”, then, “Oh yeah right, it’s Rick.” Every time I just kinda shake my head to myself…he just doesn’t get it.
Remembering someone’s name is a great life reminder that we all need to remember.
I myself was reminded of its importance after reading Life’s Little Instruction Book.
Originally written as a list of fatherly advice…
…from H. Jackson Brown, Jr. to his son, Life’s Little Instruction Book was turned into a book (and eventually series of books) that sold over 10 million copies and spent over two years on the NY Times bestseller list.
The book contains 511 life reminders which are a mixture of insights, words of wisdom and simple suggestions that positively impacted his life and that he passed along to his son.
In today’s post, I have chosen my favorite 18 life reminders from the book as well as my thoughts on each of them.
18 Life Reminders We All Need to Be Reminded Of!
(1) Compliment three people every day.
The key is to make sure the compliments are thoughtful and sincere. People can spot insincere b.s. compliments a mile away.
You never know whose day you will make with a thoughtful and sincere compliment.
(2) Be the first to say “Hello”.
Most people are friendly, but they just need someone else to go first. Be a leader and be the one to say “hello” first, again, you never know whose day you will make!
(3) Return all the things you borrow.
There is nothing worse than lending something to someone and not getting it back or having to ask to get it back. Another great idea is to give it back with a thank you note or a small gift to show your appreciation. It’s not so much about the thank you note or small gift, rather it is about the thought behind it. And if someone is nice enough to let you borrow their car, return it with a tank full of gas.
(4) Keep secrets.
If someone shows you the respect of trusting you will a secret, it is only right that you show them respect back by keeping that secret between you and them.
(5) Show respect for military personnel.
One of my favorite things when attending college football games is when they introduce someone who has served our country and that person is recognized. Serving your fellow men and women is the ultimate sacrifice and should be acknowledged with the utmost respect.
(6) Let people pull in front of you when you’re stopped in traffic.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who don’t let others in when stopped in traffic. Not letting people in is like saying my time is more important than yours. I also believe it’s important when someone lets you in to acknowledge it with a wave and smile.
(7) Refill ice cube trays.
I really liked this one! It isn’t so much the act of refilling ice cube trays but rather the act of focusing on the details that make people successful in life. How you do some things is how you do everything!
(8) Remember people’s names.
As I said in the introduction, just think of how great you feel when someone remembers your name, I know I do. It’s a great compliment and sign of respect.
(9) Resist telling people how something should be done. Instead, tell them what needs to be done. They will often surprise you with creative solutions.
We have discussed intrinsic motivation or the motivation that comes from within yourself; that is, doing something for the sheer pleasure of doing it in many previous posts.
Recall that there are 3 ways to create intrinsic motivation according to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Autonomy: being able to direct our own lives and have some control over what we do.
Mastery: having the opportunity for improvement.
Purpose: being part of something that we are connected to.
Telling people what you need them to do and having them come up with creative solutions on their own is a great way to ignite intrinsic motivation via autonomy!
(10) When complimented, a sincere “thank you” is the only response required.
The idea is to gracefully accept a compliment without downplaying it or rejecting it. Rather than deflecting the attention, a simple “thank you” shows gratitude and appreciation without appearing vain.
(11) Drink eight glasses of water every day.
Water accounts for as much as 70 percent of your body as an adult. Staying hydrated is key to help maintain the balance of bodily fluids, energize your muscles, keep your kidneys functioning, and keep your skin looking great – amongst other things!
(12) Don’t gossip.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is: “Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas.” Gossip adds no value and if someone is gossiping about someone else to you, they are probably gossiping about you to someone else.
(13) Practice empathy. Try to see things from other people’s point of view.
We discussed the other person’s viewpoint in a previous post and it is always a great idea to suspend judgment until you at least consider why the other person is behaving or thinking in a certain way.
(14) Don’t spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly.
Those who are super successful in life are typically those that have mastered the art of saying no! We cannot do everything or be everything and still come out on top.
(15) Hear both sides before judging.
There are always two sides to a story, and it is always best to hear both sides before making a judgment one way or the other.
(16) Instead of using the word problem, try substituting the word opportunity.
Many times, it is how we perceive or frame something that makes all the difference in the world. Rather than seeing something as a problem, re-frame it as an opportunity to manage or control a situation and turn it to a benefit or advantage.
(17) Every person that you meet knows something you don’t; learn something from them.
This, in my opinion, is great advice and something I strive to do during every interaction with someone else. I try to learn or take away at least 1 thing from every person I meet.
(18) Don’t be called out on strikes. Go down swinging.
Babe Ruth is widely considered one of the best baseball players of all-time. The fact that he is 3rd in career home runs often overshadows the fact that he led the American League in strikeouts 5 times, accumulating 1,330 in his career. As he famously said, “Never allow the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!” In other words, take a chance and go for it!
Back to My Neighbor…
…he still asks me to remind him of my name every time we see him.
Now, however, I am having a little fun with it, I make up a new name every time.
“Oh yeah, Jose, that’s right!”, he said the other day.
As the great Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” Amen!
Until next time, contemplate the life reminders we discussed today and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick
P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.
Use it Or Lose It – Life Reminders
The 18 life reminders we discussed in this post were:
(1) Compliment three people every day.
(2) Be the first to say “Hello”.
(3) Return all the things you borrow.
(4) Keep secrets.
(5) Show respect for military personnel.
(6) Let people pull in front of you when you’re stopped in traffic.
(7) Refill ice cube trays.
(8) Remember people’s names.
(9) Resist telling people how something should be done. Instead, tell them what needs to be done. They will often surprise you with creative solutions.
(10) When complimented, a sincere “thank you” is the only response required.
(11) Drink eight glasses of water every day.
(12) Don’t gossip.
(13) Practice empathy. Try to see things from other people’s point of view.
(14) Don’t spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly.
(15) Hear both sides before judging.
(16) Instead of using the word problem, try substituting the word.
(17) Every person that you meet knows something you don’t; learn something from them.
(18) Don’t be called out on strikes. Go down swinging.
When to Use It
Use these life reminders whenever appropriate in your life.
What Do You Think?
What do you think of these life reminders, do any of them resonate with you more than the others? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Another good one! You are on a roll.
(11) Eight glasses of water?? Really? I’d then spend most of the day peeing. The bladder capacity sure isn’t what it once was. Just wait, you will find out on your own. Bring a clothes pin.
(7) As such, really not applicable as we have an ice maker. But the concept holds true. If you finish up the last bottle of soda or beer, go out to the garage and bring in another six pack.
(12) I am not too sure about this one. Joan checks her chat board daily for the latest gossip from her cousins. People in Jersey and New York have their own way of looking at the world and familial relationships, sometimes it’s serious, other times it’s totally hilarious, at least from our point of view.
Other than these few trivial points, you hit a home run, like item (18)
Hi Dave, I drank WAY more water than 8 glasses – but I also live in South Florida and workout a ton. I think the key thing is to drink enough, and 8 glasses may not be accurate for everyone, the idea is to be hydrated enough your pee is a pale yellow color (too much information perhaps, but it is an easy way to tell. Agreed on the ice, it’s more the concept like you say. Speaking of home runs, you are always hitting them with your comments, so thanks again! Best, Rick