I know the rules of the road actually pertain to the road but I’m just using it as some general guidelines of what I look for in my life. These might be a bit of review for readers who always visit but I think these concepts make me happy and therefore I can write about them.
Simplicity – Smart people keep things simple. When I decide how much I like to hang out with someone, I ask myself “does this person make things difficult and things don’t go to plan?” Do unexpected issues tend to pop up? My ideal day is to wake up in nice sunny weather, put on some music, sit by a pool or beach, read a book and have some beers. I can’t think of something that I’d like to do more. Completely stress free. I don’t mind doing things but I prefer making things easy opposed to complicating issues.
Emptiness – I don’t mean from an life emptiness but a physical emptiness. Things that are crowded bother me. When I go out to eat I want to avoid waiting in line or feeling rushed due to too many people. I just don’t want the hassle. If I want to have a drink at the bar I want to find a bar seat and sit there comfortably and have a bartender serve me drinks when I finish. This goes with why I don’t really like sporting events or amusement parks. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Marlins but having to deal with 50,000+ people is a nightmare for me. I just don’t like the masses. This doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t do it, people just annoy me.
No debts – This works both ways. I don’t like owing people and I don’t like people to owe me. This works with money as well as favors. I pay off my credit card bill weekly because I hate the feeling. There’s something about being in debt to someone and it’s like they can hold it over your head. It’s a terrible feeling and it’s just as bad when someone owes you something. The whole relationship dynamic changes because there’s always that elephant in the room. I rarely lend out money and rarely accept money from people because of this. Money changes relationships and it’s better just to avoid at all costs.
Honesty – I think this is one of the easiest ways to pick up a girl. Tell her to listen to Billy Joel’s Honesty and she’ll be smitten. This quality is really the best way to get people to like and trust you. As long as you do what you say and say what you do, people respect that. No one likes dealing with people if they are constantly trying to figure out if they are telling the truth.
Generosity – This is easily my flimsiest quality. I find myself generous when tipping employees and talking to strangers but deep down I’m always counter thinking myself. Today when I was driving I saw some woman crossing the road on a red light and I just want to drive my car straight into her to teach her a lesson. Maybe that’s generous on my part for trying to teach her a lesson… Anyway, people tend not to notice generosity. I think that’s why some people feel the need to exclaim that they are doing something nice instead of just doing what’s expected. A good quality to have but I have my doubts.
wow i actually agree! i would rank them from most to least important:
1. honesty
2. simplicity
3. generosity
4. no debts
5 emptiness