Tips

[jdrch]

Just a few short tips I've picked up over the years. Not all are related to my own experience, but they are related to my own observations.

1. Overestimate the intelligence of enemies & underestimate that of friends
2. Assume enemies are at least smart as you are
3. A secret is a sword
4. Enemies are always liabilities. Diplomacy keeps their numbers low
5. Do not create or allow conditions for someone other than your significant other to believe they are that person
6. There are 2 ways to win wars: spending blood and spending money
7. Everything is a double edged sword
8. Think more in terms of "and" and less in terms of "but"
9. Sometimes we fight not because we are brave, but because there is nothing else we can do
10. The alternative to politics is mortal combat in which only the victor lives. That is not civil society
11. If you get into anything and fail to understand or try to understand the politics (read: human terrain) of it, you're dead
12. There is no 1 true message that rallies everyone to a cause, regardless of how noble. Tailor your message
13. If you find yourself saying "I told you so" a lot, something is wrong with your messaging
14. Good jobs pay you money. Fantastic jobs pay you time
15. The world is full of savers who are too old to enjoy their wealth
16. Be fearless, but if you must fear something, fear suffering, not death
17. Not every question needs to be answered immediately or at all
18. Energy spent trying to get people to accept you is much better spent with people who already accept you
19. Maximize your unscheduled time
20. Your phone and your car should always be in working order
21. If it doesn't affect your health or finances, it's not a big deal
22. It's possible for 2 excellent people to not get along or not be a good mutual fit
23. Are you reacting in a certain way because that's how you actually feel, or because you think you have to react that way?
24. Big picture and overarching mission. Always
25. Observe. Adapt. Conquer
26. Good lovers are very experienced
27. Promiscuity and sexual adventurousness are orthogonal axes
28. The biggest indicator of a person's character is whether they keep their word, no matter how small
29. Nothing of any real value is produced under duress
30. If you want to be truly convincing, guarantee no consequences
31. Experiences make you more interesting than possessions
32. Rich people always want friends and are willing to pay for them
33. Desperate entertainers are the best entertainers
34. You can't buy maturity
35. Some lessons can be taught by time and experience only
36. How you make people feel matters far more than what you do to them
37. Emotional damage is rarely repairable
38. Don't think you can hop into a Ferrari next week because you're in a Corvette. The Corvette may be your limit
39. Every day you either get better or get worse. There is no staying the same (Source: Jim McElwain)
40. Deception is a hallmark of intelligence
41. Saying "no" increases your apparent negativity
42. Relationships buy more and better favors than money
43. You're not alone in going through shit but you're also not the only person going through shit
44. Someone you can come home to >>> someone you can party with
45. Relationships are 95% effort and only 5% fun
46. If you're gonna do something bad, do it right. Don't compound wrongdoing with stupidity
47. People in the 95th percentile of your dating range do not give 2 shits about you. They have better options
48. The 75th to 85th percentile of your dating range is the sweet spot
49. The best antidote to a narcissist is to ignore them. It denies them the relevance and consequent status they seek
50. All authoritarianism is based on fear. Lose the fear & the authoritarianism loses its power
51. Productivity has the highest rate of return of anything you can invest in
52. Unless it's literally in your job description, you're not paid to be funny or entertaining
53. Discussion without the possibility of changing your mind is bad faith acting
54. Repetition for emphasis works in speeches, not conversation
55. Parenting is paid forward
56. Basing your satisfaction in life on what someone else does with theirs guarantees disappointment
57. Don't brag about doing dirt. Even your friends will think you're a POS
58. If the same thing keeps happening with different people, it's you and not them
59. Money and power only amplify who someone has always been
60. Are you feeling [emotional adjective] because of the reality of the situation, or because you're an [emotional adjective] person?
61. The 1st step in solving any problem is literally to calm down
62. Control over others' affairs should be exercised sparingly
63. She's not racist, she just doesn't like you
64. Being called reasonable is the highest compliment you can receive
65. Anger hurts far more than it protects. If you are angry, ask yourself what you are really trying to accomplish
66. If you want to learn how to have difficult conversations, volunteer for a political campaign
67. Don't wait for a problem to affect you before you do something about it
68. People who disagree with you exist to save you from yourself
69. There is no substitute for being an ally
70. People who claim to be able to distill extremely complicated issues into simple messages are liars
71. Stop asking for everything to be explained to you and rise to the challenge of researching for yourself
72. Lack of intellectual curiosity or interest in how the world works is the most disappointing thing in a person
73. Ignorance only makes you serious liability to yourself and others
74. 99% of accidents are avoided by situational awareness
75. 99% of self defense is situational awareness
76. Never forget who you are dealing with
77. The person you're dealing with matters more to than the organization you're dealing with
78. Running a business like a government kills the business. Running a government like a business kills the people
79. No one has more patience the a woman who loves you
80. Your happiness is sacred. Treat it as such
81. Businesses either grow or die
82. Capitalism cannot show restraint
83. There is nothing that and no one who can fill your every need
84. No hobby every reaches a state of "done" or "enough"
85. Those who are quick to draw swords cut themselves
86. The best weapon is the one between your ears
87. There is no defense against the element of surprise
88. Being cheap only postpones and increases expenses
89. It's quite possible you're a terrible person. Try to be a little less terrible each day
90. A lot of good people allow bad things to happen to them
91. Care for and about yourself instead of waiting for other people to do so
92. If you look good, people will try to fuck you
93. Nobody looks across a room and thinks "Wow, that person must be really good on the inside, I'll go talk to them!"
94. People who preach total honesty are liars
95. Replace "Why?" with "Because"
96. There is no such thing as too much Ethernet cable
97. Charm isn't false if it works
98. If someone didn't ask for a picture of you, it's very safe to assume they don't want one. Ever.
99. Smart people's need to feel smart is their greatest weakness
100. Life has no reward but that which you make for yourself
101. Don't make it easy for people to turn against you
102. The moment you think you have everything figured out is the exact moment at which you have nothing figured out. Keep observing, learning, and adapting
103. Offload everything that isn't decisionmaking from your cognition to technology
104. Any recurring task with roughly the same inputs and expected outputs should be automated
105. A leader's primary job is to make decisions
106. Lack of direction kills morale faster than well considered but suboptimal decisions
107. Suboptimal, poorly considered decisions kill morale faster than lack of direction
108. Bad news does not get better with time
109. The consequences of any trait increase exponentially the higher in the chain of command that trait appears
110. If your friends aren't attracted to the same type of person you're attracted to, you have 1 less thing to worry about
111. Dying is easy. Existing is less easy. Surviving is hard. Thriving is extremely difficult
112. Prey generally object to being hunted
113. If you want to know how well an employer treats their employees, look at the cars in the parking lot
114. If nobody takes your advice it's probably because you're nobody
115. Women are more likely to fuck you than send you nudes
116. If you haven't had some low down dirty shit done to you, you aren't trying
117. Living in fear is not living
118. A life without caution ends rapidly
119. An ideology is always judged by its most extreme adherents
120. Solve 1 problem at a time
121. Over 28 and no championship rings? Time to ditch the Michael Jordan quotes; they're not working
122. If all you do is build it, no one will come
123. Truth is harder to sell than lies
124. History is not the study of the past, but is rather the study of how the present came to be
125. If you know the rules, play the game
126. The problem with cost cutting is eventually you spend $0 and make $0.01
127. Every philosophy/worldview/etc. suffers from one fatal flaw: there are millions of non-adherents who are doing just fine
128. Shyness is for people under 25. Beyond that age, it's childish