- When caregiving toddler and infant grandsons, expeditiously remove dirty diapers. Most should bypass the kitchen garbage can and go directly to a dumpster or landfill.
- Learn how to drive a stick shift, administer CPR, use TurboTax, and cook a good omelet.
- Get/Be good at something. Whether its plumbing, PowerPoint, playing the violin, or Wii bowling, be the expert people go to for something. Then keep getting better at it and find new ways to apply that knowledge and expertise.
- God created everything. The evidence is overwhelming. Magnificent designs (e.g., the universe, the digestive system, an eyeball, etc.) require a Magnificent Designer.
- The Bible is God’s word… inspired and authoritative. Basic-Instructions-Before-Leaving-Earth. It should be read, studied, and lived. I can’t pick and choose the parts I want to follow. There’s a huge difference in just believing in God and actually doing what He says.
- God loved us enough to send His only Son to this earth to die for our sins. Let that sink in a little more every day.
- Christ rose again and reigns in heaven. He’s coming back one day to take Christians home. Instructions on becoming a Christian… joining His team… are clearly laid out in the Bible. If you need help with this, please call or message me.
- The more you realize how much God loves you, the more you’ll want to follow the Bible. You won’t do that perfectly (not even close), but you’ll want to try to do your best… because God gave His best.
- If you miss out on the above 5 things, you’ve missed out on everything. Nothing is more important in life. Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Figure that out while you’re still alive, and preferably while you’re young.
- Choose the right spouse. Someone who has already figured out #4-8. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person. Make sure she is someone who will help you get to heaven and do the same for her. If she is cute, funny, a good cook, and has an adorable southern accent, that’s a bonus.
- Stay married. Be in it for the long haul. As much as it depends on you… one life, one wife.
- Have at least one person in your life who will give you honest criticism and tell it like it is.
- Live simply. For example, buy/rent only the amount of home you need. Maintaining/heating/cooling unused rooms in a “trophy” house is silly.
- Try to make a living doing something where the following 3 “circles” intersect: what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about, and where there’s a societal need.
- Make people feel important. That starts by realizing that all people are loved and important. Thank the custodial staff at your school/place of business. Take your preacher to lunch. Send a church elder a thank you note.
- Be a person of unquestionable integrity. If there’s a rumor that you lied or cheated, the people who know you best should be near 100% certain it’s not true.
- If called to lead, don’t be timid. Lead like a lion. The pride will be comforted, encouraged, and inspired by that.
- Have a vision for the future—for yourself, your family, your business, your church, etc. Sell your vision every day.
- Be cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic. It’s okay to be joyful. In fact, we’re supposed to be.
- Take initiative. Don’t stand around waiting for others to act. Be the change agent.
- Invest in your kids and grandkids… family time, youth group activities, etc. You won’t get those years back. Teach your kids to know and love God. Make sure they (and you) are in Bible class every week. That’s more important than their grades, travel sports teams, scouts, etc.
- Appreciate the little things–the Moe’s workers who welcome you when you come in, the parking spot that opens up near the mall, midgets, etc.
- It’s okay to support a certain political party/candidate (especially pro-life ones!). But as Christians, keep in mind that our citizenship is in heaven and our leader is Christ. What goes on in your house is far more important than what goes on in the White House.
- Concentrate on fixing things. Enough people are already focused on pointing out problems.
- People who don’t smoke, drink, or gamble are generally going to end up better off than those who do. Rarely on a deathbed will someone say, “I wish I had smoked/drank/gambled more.”
- Give blood regularly. When they ask where in Honduras you visited, it’s best just to say, “near Tegucigalpa”.
- Take care of yourself. Eat nutritious foods in moderation. Drink lots of water. Work out at least 3 times/week. Get plenty of sleep. You are best able to serve others when you are healthy yourself.
- Figure out what pleases your spouse. A rigorous foot massage and doing the laundry may be appreciated more than flowers.
- Take chances, recognizing you won’t always succeed. The most successful people have failed a bunch. You’re more likely to regret the things you didn’t try than the things you tried and failed at.
- All things being equal, choose a dog over a cat.
- Read Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Love Does by Bob Goff. Then re-read them with a pen and a highlighter.
- Find a way to take your kids on a mission trip to a third-world country before they graduate. It will change their lives and yours. I’ve heard many young people say that it was on a mission trip where their faith started to become real to them… not just something they inherited from their parents.
- Don’t get too cocky about your winning pro/college sports team. You had little to do with it. Fantasy teams that you selected? Well, that’s a different story.
- Dream big dreams. If there’s a compelling enough “why” behind them, you’ll figure out the “how”. Don’t get to the end of your life never having gone on a crazy adventure.
- You can learn a lot about life from your children. If you’ve done your job, you might even start looking at them as role models.
- Tell your family you love them. Then tell them that over and over again. You never know when it will be the last time you speak to them. Could be tonight. So, tell them that now… then come back to this list.
- Double-check your hose before opening the valve on your RV’s black tank.
- Stick with low-cost term life insurance and diversified no load mutual funds. Don’t mix insurance and investments.
- Never give up. Never, ever give up. Others will give up. You stick it out.
- Get a will (or trust), Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Living Will, and Declaration of Guardian (if you have kids). Make sure your parents have done the same, and that you know where these documents are located.
- Work hard… but also take time to re-charge, take vacations, etc. Sharpen the saw.
- Don’t tell a joke during a vasectomy–even one you know you can land. It’s more important for your doctor to have steady hands than laugh. More on that in Vol. 2 of my memoir.
- Choose your friends carefully and cultivate those friendships. You tend to become like the people you hang with.
- Apologize when you mess up. And sometimes even when you don’t.
- The sooner you realize you’ll never be the perfect spouse / parent / child / employee / church leader / friend / etc., the better off you’ll be. Focus on becoming the best version of yourself.
- Open a Roth IRA by age 22 and begin contributing the max amount to it by automatic payroll deduction. When you hit 72, thank me.
- Champion a cause larger than yourself. Open an orphanage. Plant a church. Adopt a child or donate to help someone else trying to adopt. Teach/mentor someone. Don’t have too much of your life be just about you. If you need inspiration, spend an hour chatting with a Dalton Hines, Chase Turner, or Todd Tipton.
- Be patriotic. Pick up a meal for a young service member and his/her family. Stand up straight and put your hand over your heart during the playing of the National Anthem. For all of our country’s problems, it’s still our country… and millions of people around the world would give anything to live here.
- Don’t be dull and boring at what you do. Be creative. Break out from the herd. Have a compelling story.
- Don’t leave attending to the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the elderly, visiting prisoners, making disciples, etc., to the elders/deacons/paid church staff. We should all be involved in ministry.
- The two most important skills, at least from my military career: 1) the ability to get along with and relate to other people; and 2) the ability to communicate (talking, writing, briefing) to sell your ideas. Master these two skills.
- Keep dental floss in your car’s driver’s side storage compartment. You’re more likely to use it at red lights than at home. That said, flossing semi-annually prior to your dental exam is technically “regularly”, should the hygienist want to go there.
- Focus on your circle of influence (feeding a homeless person) rather than your circle of concern (world hunger).
- Nowhere does the Bible tell us to be “tolerant” of sin. We should avoid doing things that are wrong and, in a loving way, teach/encourage others who are caught up in sinful lifestyles. Hate (be intolerant of) the sin… but always love and be kind to the sinner (including yourself). Pretty sure that’s what God does.
- Purge regularly—closets, drawers, storage rooms, glove compartments, etc. If you haven’t worn/used something in the past 1-2 years, you probably never will. For every new shirt you add, give one away.
- Worrying accomplishes nothing. In fact, it’s counter-productive. Spend that energy working the problem, if there’s something about the problem you can work on.
- Back up your home movies to DVD or the Cloud before they get brittle.
- Don’t respond to everything you disagree with on social media. Few arguments are won there. Just keep scrolling, and spend that energy on proclaiming Jesus.
- Trauma is both a psychological and physical event. If you know someone experiencing a mental health challenge, short or long term, reach out and encourage them to get help and not bury it.
- “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14). But what about _________________? It says “everything”. No one wants to hear your griping or mine.
- Go on a vacation to the Holy Lands…it’ll change the way you understand the Bible. Also, visit Rothenburg, Germany in winter and do the Night watchman Tour while it’s snowing. Walk the ruins of Pompeii and tell your young sons this is what can happen “if you are bad”. Ride camels in Petra, Jordan and pink jeeps in Sedona, Arizona. Just get out and see and do stuff outside of your home state/country.
- Don’t over-spend on clothes. Do over-spend on high quality running/hiking shoes. For hikers/backpackers, splurge on things that touch the ground—your shoes, tent, and sleeping bag.
- It’s possible to have a unique, substantial, well-rounded meal at Costco by circling the store 4-5 times while the wife shops.
- Make “Random Acts of Kindness” part of your DNA. Just do stuff for people and don’t tell anyone.
- A lot of what happens to you in life won’t make sense at the time. However, you’ll be amazed at how many times you can look back on things that happened and see how God was connecting dots and bringing about good from the situation.
- When you’re making a list of 60 things, don’t be afraid to do 66 instead. It’s your list. Just be thankful readers made it all the way to the end!
This is great advice. So number 15.
Love this Steve!
Great list! Thanks for sharing this. This would make a great class!!
Amen to many of these, but #10 and #12 are real winners.
Great info, Steve. I am so glad we followed your #43 advice. You and Janet make us better people.