Simple Formula for living:

When I started High School, my dad gave me this list. I didn’t exactly know how to process this list as I was only 13-14yrs old at the time. But I have held onto it & tried to abide by it since then.

It might seem simple & it should be as it is “The Simple Formula for Living”. But ask yourself, when is the last time you’ve done any of these things. This list keeps me accountable on my goal to be a better person & help when I can. Some of the bullets stand out to me/mean more to me than others but it all adds up in the end. It’s the little things in life that make the biggest difference, keep that in mind.

1) Live Beneath Your Means.

2) Return Everything You Borrow.

3) Stop Blaming Other People.

4) Admit It When You Make a Mistake.

5) Give Clothes Not Worn to Charity.

6) Do Something Nice & Try Not to Get Caught. ***

7) Listen More; Talk Less.

8) Everyday Take a 30 Minute Walk.

9) Strive For Excellence, Not Perfection.

10) Be On Time, Don’t Make Excuses.

11) Don’t Argue, Get Organized.

12) Be Kind to Unkind People.

13) Let Someone Cut Ahead of You In Line.

14) Take Time to Be Alone.

15) Cultivate Good Manners.

16) Be Humble.

17) Realize & Accept That Life Isn’t Fair.

18) Know When to Keep Your Mouth Shut.

19) Go An Entire Day Without Citizing Anyone.

20) Learn From the Past, Plan for Future.

21) Live In the Present.

22) Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

23) It’s All Small Stuff.

I put asterisks by Rule 6. “Do Something Nice & Try Not to Get Caught”.

That is by far my favorite thing to do. Every time we do something nice for someone, we say “Look what I did” hoping for a celebration. As human’s we suffer from needing instant gratification & appreciation. This rule throws all of that out of the window. You get the same feeling but there is a lot more patience involved. You’re the nameless, the faceless, the unknown hero that came in & saved the day. You get to witness the gratefulness & the enjoyment of that person, but just from a far. They’ll never know it was you, but in the end, you feel even better because you know that you did what is right & didn’t expect anything in return. After your good deed, you simply go on about your life never knowing when you’ll have to dust that old cape off again. But when that day comes, you’ll know what to do.

Destin Smith

“Take it easy Dude, I know that you will” - Sam Elliot “The Big Lebowski”