Rules to Live By

Picked this up on The GunCounter. Written by Chris Byrne.

I have a list of maxims , aphorism, rules, and guidelines, covering different areas; by which I attempt (not always successfully) to live every aspect of my life:

• Do what you say you will do, even if it is to your disadvantage
• Say only what you mean, mean what you say; and understand the difference
• Promise only that which you can keep; and do your best to do so
• Honor is the gift a man gives himself
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• Respect yourself, and others; unless they prove themselves unworthy of respect
• Take pride in what you do, no matter what it is
• Do your best, always; anything less is an insult to yourself
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• Fix the problem not the blame
• If it's my problem, it's my responsibility; there are no excuses
• Feeling bad about something doesn't make it better. Don't feel bad, fix it.
• There is no such thing as "should" or "deserve". In this life you get what you make, what you take, what you earn, and what you are given. Should, and deserve don't come into it.
• The difference between fucking up, and being a fuckup, isn't in how many times you fuck up, or how big your fuckups are; but in how you respond to fucking up.
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• Expect and require excellence, and you may receive it. Expect and require only adequacy, and you most certainly will receive nothing more.
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• The perfect is the enemy of the good
• Good is good enough, good enough isn't
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• Keep It Simple Stupid
• Good, Fast, Cheap; pick two
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• If it's stupid, and it works; it's still stupid... but then again, it still works
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• Good intentions matter, but good results matter more
• Sometimes you have to make the “least bad” decision
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• If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking
• Never mistake consensus for correctness
• Never let someone who says it is impossible interrupt the person who is doing it
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• No idea is always a bad idea; but it may be a bad idea right now. Then again it might not. Be creative. Take risks; but understand them, and be sure the rewards are worth it
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• Remember, you can never do only one thing. No matter what you do, what you know, or what your intentions are; every word you say, every thing you do, will have consequences you did not intend, forsee, or understand.
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• Never interrupt your enemy while he is making a mistake
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• Be prepared
• Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
• Two is one, One is none
• Be flexible. Always be ready for things to go other than how you planned. The only thing more useless than an unloaded weapon, is an unprepared mind
• Improvise, adapt, and overcome
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• Trust a man completely ONCE; and if betrayed, never again
• Trust your team without reservation; with all others, trust, but verify
• It's not whether you're paranoid, it's whether you're paranoid enough
• Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence
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• "Because it makes me (or my wife, or my kids) happy", is a perfectly good reason for something; but not an excuse to do something you know is wrong.
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• Life comes first
• Don't take yourself or your life too seriously; no-one get's out of this alive after all
• A filthy mind is a terrible thing to waste