Five Common Sense Tips / Hacks / Tricks For Living a Better Life

Living life is joyous on occasion, rough going sporadically (hopefully), and even keel on most days.  The aforementioned goes for superstar power brokers and well endowed professional athletes – life, as a matter of fact, is ever changing and a challenge (and mundane at times).There are, however ,a few simple tips you can keep in mind to optimize life (the tips, of course, are not exhaustive and are meant as a discussion starter while you’re showering in the morning pondering those great thoughts):

1. Thinking On Your Feet
Thinking on your feet is quite possibly the No. 1 practical skill set of all time.  The skill set can aid in a multitude of scenarios from an impromptu discussion on the value of the product line you manage with the company CEO to the ability to argue a position or answer a question in your college seminar. Thinking on your feet can also land you the ideal job you are looking for because, at the heart of it, a job interview is a sort of spontaneous conversation where the hiring manager is evaluating your ability to speak and formulate ideas.  Simply put, if you can’t think on your feet you might as well be flipping burgers as the local McDonalds.

2. Meaningful Small Talk
If you distill small talk to it’s very essence, it’s about being able to handle social situations well.  A person who does small talk well can relate to just about anyone (from the local sanitation worker to the academic at the local college) and quickly situate himself in a social setting and make friends, communicate that he or she is a trustworthy individual, and ultimately put the group or person he / she is engaged with in a calm and agreeable manner.

3. Take Care Of Your Body, Teeth, and Hair
OK, I’m currently typing this blog entry in shorts, black socks, and with a little bit of scruff on my chin (read: I haven’t shaved in two days), yet I’m telling you it’s vital that you take your appearance seriously (I’d look better if our 6 week old wasn’t dominating our life currently).  I’ve heard that half of a successful life is merely showing up and looking good; that may be true, but the looking good part should consist of daily exercise, dental hygiene (read brush your teeth, floss, and visit the dentist), regular haircuts and the use of hair product (I’m serious), and respectable, but not too showy and ostentatious, clothing.  You convey a ton to people well before you open your mouth, so get the easy part right and simply look good (it’s not hard).

4. Be Flexible…With Everything
Like thinking on your feet, the ability to be flexible with life is key to living well.  As much as planning and thoughtful analysis is part of my DNA, I see the ability to quickly change directions in life and adapt to shifting professional, family, and social situations as an even more vital skill set.  I think the aforementioned skill set is especially important for younger folks in their twenties and early thirties when patience and seeing the big picture can be difficult (contrary to popular belief, I think older folks are better capable and equipped  to change or adapt).

5. Keep your family Close (i.e., You Can Have Too Many Friends)
I’ve written on the virtues of maintaining a strong connection to mom and dad on multiple occasions.  And it’s not just mom and dad you want to keep close, but also sisters, brothers, in-laws, uncles, aunts, and cousins.  Maintaining strong family ties creates a real world social network that can help with renovating your home, raising your 1st born child, dealing with difficult life decisions, and just living life in general.   In sum, family is vital.  Now, I do include a few close friends within my family group, but I don’t have too many close friends because it takes time to nurture friendships (and let’s face it, you can’t raise a family, work, stay close to mom, dad, and sis, and maintain relationships with 50 “close” friends).