Life’s Little Instructions

(Given by a 95- year – old friend named William Snell, 1993.)

  • Sing in the shower.
  • Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
  • Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
  • Never refuse homemade brownies.
  • Strive for excellence, not perfection.
  • Plant a tree on your birthday.
  • Learn three clean jokes.
  • Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
  • Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
  • Leave everything a little better than you found it.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
  • Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
  • Be forgiving on yourself and others.
  • Say “thank you” a lot.
  • Say “please” a lot.
  • Avoid negative people.
  • Wear polished shoes.
  • Remember other people’s birthdays.
  • Commit yourself to constant improvement.
  • Have a firm handshake.
  • Send lots of valentine cards, sign them.
  • Look people in the eye.
  • Be the first to say “hello.”
  • Return all things you borrow.
  • Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
  • Keep secrets.
  • Plant flowers every spring.
  • Have a dog.
  • Always accept an outstretched hand.
  • Stop blaming others.
  • Take responsibility for every area of your life.
  • Wave at kids on school buses.
  • Be there when people need you.
  • Don’t expect life to be fair.
  • Never underestimate the power of love.
  • Drink champagne for no reason at all.
  • Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.
  • Don’t be afraid to say, “I made a mistake.”
  • Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
  • Compliment even small improvements.
  • Keep your promises no matter what.
  • Marry only for love.
  • Rekindle old friendships.
  • Count your blessings.
  • Call your mother And your dad too, if they happen to be alive.