Life Rules to Live By

So I found this on the Internet the other day, but just have to re-post it. Can't find the original source, but I'm sure Google could....

Life's Instructions

1. Have a firm handshake.
2. Look people in the eye.
3. Sing in the shower.
4. Own a great stereo system.
5. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
6. Keep secrets.
7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.
8. Always accept an outstretched hand.
9. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
10. Whistle.
11. Avoid sarcastic remarks.
12. Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.
13. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
14. Lend only those books you never care to see again.
15. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
16. When playing games with children, let them win.
17. Give people a second chance, but not a third.
18. Be romantic.
19. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
20. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
21. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for our convenience, not the caller's.
22. Be a good loser.
23. Be a good winner.
24. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
25. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
26. Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
27. Keep it simple.
28. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
29. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
30. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets
31. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the
32. things you didn't do more than the one's you did.
33. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
34. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
35. Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you.
36. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.
37. Begin each day with some of your favorite music.
38. Once in a while, take the scenic route.
39. Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.'
40. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
41. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
42. Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
43. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
44. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
45. Become someone's hero.
46. Marry only for love.
47. Count your blessings.
48. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.
49. Wave at the children on a school bus.
50. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
51. Don't expect life to be fair.

Setting the record straight - Northern Manners

I've always had it in my head that 'northerners', and by that I generally mean people north of London - aka most of the country - aren't that polite. Being a bit of a snob about it for some reason, I always get the impression that the further north you go, the less polite people get. Turns out, I'm wrong - very wrong.

Whenever I visit Blackpool, which is often once a year for family functions, my first thought of The People of Blackpool are either elderly people, or chavs stuck in the 1990s. Most youngsters don Burberry like it's going out of fashion (ironic, that) and walk around in their chavvyist Adidas or Nike tracksuits. I'm not talking just a hoodie, or the occasional pair of sweats, but the full sh-bang. Air force ones, or something similar to heavy-duty boots looking half-fashionable on the feet, sporty trakky bottoms, a hoody, and a windbreaker on the outside. This may sometimes be accompanied with a cap.

When I've been to Birmingham, the people are pretty similar. 16-year-olds mingle around in groups, giving 'evils' to everyone from babies to pensioners, whilst the elderly rule the streets while the teens are busy buying (or fleecing shopkeepers for) fags and alcohol. A night-out there confirmed by dim view on the citizens there too, when two men attempted to mug me by buying me a drink randomly, paying for it, gaining my trust/attention, whilst another eyed up and made an eventual grab for my pocket. Laughing and walking off seemed the only viable option that wouldn't result in a scene that night.

How times change. I'm not sure if it's because of the places I went, the people I was with, or the fact I've grown up immensely in all manners since I started university, but I viewed the people of Blackpool completely differently. Sure, there were some people (okay, a lot of people) donning tramp stamps and the usual list of dead and alive loved ones scrolled onto upper arms and backs in black ink, but the amount of people going trigger-happy on their Ps and Qs was amazing.

Everyone, everyone, was polite when I spoke to/bumped into them. Some even asked how I was, and they weren't even trying to sell me anything. I felt let down by my own mannerisms - walking into someone on the Tube purposefully for a space seems second nature to me and every commuter in London, yet if a Blackpudlian (this probably isn't the right address, but it's staying) boarded the train they'd be saying sorry more often than they would eat hot dinners.

It's a bit of a shame the difference in manners across the country. Leaving fashion out of it (which Blackpool is still void of) it only takes a second to say the occasional thank-you, sorry, or excuse me, and this is a skill mastered by the 'northerner' - something the average commuter severely lacks.

Final comparison. At a roundabout in Blackpool, we could happily sit patiently in a triangle letting each other go for hours. Meanwhile when someone almost knocked me off my bicycle last week, they shouted profanaties at me and chased me down the road for over-taking them...