1. Always Take the Receipt — It doesn’t matter if I’m buying a stick of gum from a store clerk, I will always take the printed receipt because it provides a timestamp; if you need an alibi, but I have simply needed to remember what time I arrived somewhere and used a receipt to backtrack my steps chronologically. Or I’ve needed to recall the cashier’s name for some reason. I toss them aside and eventually trash them but having them around for the short-term has come in handy several times.
  2. Always ask for a bag at checkout when traveling — Usually if my purchase consists of only a few items that can easily be carried, I won’t ask for a bag. But keeping an extra hand free is especially helpful if you have kids, and you need bags when you’re on the road — for trash, dirty clothes, soiled diapers, or simply a makeshift purse for random items as you move in and out of hotels, conference rooms, theme parks, or residences.
  3. Never argue with the bouncer — Think of it this way, if you ever were to find yourself arguing with the bouncer at a nightclub, you’ve already lost that argument. This is metaphorical and applies to any authority figure such as police, teachers, or government officials. These people are not designed to negotiate, in fact, they are trained to shut down negotiations and follow policy. Shut your mouth so you can stay in the club long enough to either learn the rules or make an appeal to the owner, because if you start arguing with the bouncer, the owner will take their side every time.
  4. Always take the first time slot — Snoozing is synonymous with losing, and while there are appropriate times to deliberate, appointment-scheduling is not one of them. For things like job interviews, doctor visits, or automotive mechanic work, always take the first available time slot that you can feasibly make, because as they say, things happen. Other interviewees might make a winning first impression, doctors can run behind as the day wears on, and people ahead of you in line may have unforeseen problems that extend your wait time.
  5. Always thank people for being there for you — Our time is our most valuable asset. Most of us have to trade our time to get the things we want in life. Whether you are ordering fast-food or making a deposit at your bank, that person has chosen to trade their most valuable asset to be there today and help you with your goals. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t get the best customer service, they traded their time. Maybe they are miserable and hate their job, maybe they are going through a rough time in life, or maybe they are simply not good at their job, but they still showed up today to help. As long as someone doesn’t spit in my face, kick me in the teeth, or stuff like that, I will always end our transaction with, “thank you for being here today.”
  6. Don’t get stuck — When you pull up to a red traffic light behind another car, don’t pull right up on their bumper. If their car breaks down and the car behind you is also on your bumper, you will be stuck. This is a good analogy for life, to never let yourself get stuck just because you trusted things would move along as expected. If you need a more dramatic reason not to pull up on someone’s bumper at a red traffic light, consider what you’d do if a maniac started opening fire at the intersection — you’d want to be able to drive off.