21 Suggestions for SUCCESS by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

1. Caitlin F. Health 6th Period 21 Suggestions for SUCCESSby H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

2. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery. Marriage is one of the most sacred bonds a person can have. Marriage is a blessing from God and is meant to last until death. I hope to meet someone special one day who is my best friend as well as spiritual soul mate. I know if I do not hurry my choice or settle for just any guy, I will have a much happier life. I want what my parents have!

3. Work at something you enjoy and that is worth your time and talent. It is important to do something that you love so you are not stuck doing something you hate just to bring home money. I love working with other people, especially children. I work in the nursery at my church every Sunday! I plan on becoming a family psychologist or maybe even an English teacher for children with learning disabilities so I can do what I enjoy—reading and writing--and helping children at the same time.

4. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. Be a cheerful giver and give out of love for others, not just because you feel you have to. My mom always says that is better to give than to receive. I think she is right. I give of my time, talents, and money to my church and to other activities not because I have to but because I want to and it feels great to help others. “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” - Anne Frank

5. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. I want to be a more positive person because people tend to surround themselves with people with good attitudes. I want people to feel good about spending time with me and enthusiasm is contagious. There are also health benefits to being more positive and enthusiastic, such as lowered blood pressure and longer life expectancy. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. Be forgiving of yourself and others. If I am angry with a person for a long time, I am angry at them for something he or she cannot control- being human and making mistakes. I need to apologize, forgive them as well as myself, and move because holding a grudge only festers with time and makes me a negative person. I need to try to never end the day angry.

7. Be generous. Generosity is one of the most important values a person can have. A generous person always wants to know how he or she can serve or help in any way. Generosity is a trait desired by many people in our society, and it is even proven that generous people live longer! “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ― Khalil Gibran

8. Have a grateful heart. I want to always be grateful. There is always something to be grateful for whether it be food, shelter or my friends and family who care for me. Is the glass half full or half empty? My perspective can make a big difference in life. Gratitude is vital to a happy life because I can either worry about what I do not have or realize I have been blessed with much.

9. Persistence, Persistence, Persistence Teachers have been saying to students for years, “When at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” They are right. I need to never give up on anything—graduating with high honorsand getting into UGA. I need to just keep at it, and eventually I may achieve my goal. I never will if I do not try. The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” - James Whitcomb Riley

10. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary. Money is great to have, but even if I can make a lot of it, I need to try to save as much as possible for the unexpected occurrences in life. I will never know when I will need the savings so I need to be prepared. I already save money for church and savings with a computer program that helps me keep up with my money.

11. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated. This is basically the Golden Rule that every child is taught from a young age. My parents have always asked me to think about how I treat others and if I would like to be treated the same way. This idea keeps my behavior in check and helps me make better decisions when it comes to my relationships with others.

12. Commit yourself to constant improvement. It is important for me to try to constantly improve myself. I am not perfect and never will be, but I can always try and better myself. I would rather be a like a food that improves with age than one that becomes stale and boring.

13. Commit yourself to quality. Ever heard the expression quality over quantity? It means that no matter how much time I spend on something, if I do not perform to the best of my ability, I have not truly succeeded. I choose to be more than mediocre! I try to make anything I do in school a quality job and spend the time to make it so.

14. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect. It does not matter if Ihad every possession and power that a person could possibly want. Those possessions will never equal the love and affection I receive from the people in my life—my Mom, Dad, and sister. They truly love and care for me. Things really do not mean much if I have no one to share the ” things “ with!

15. Be loyal. Loyalty is something that almost all people look for in a friend. Loyalty is important to me because I want to know if I can depend on them in times of need. If I am loyal to someone, he or she knows they can trust and depend on me, and it is likely that our relationship will grow even stronger. If everyone were as loyal as my dog Charlie, I would be a blessed person.

16. Be honest. For decades, honesty has been known as the best policy. If people are not ever honest, nobody will ever trust them. My mom says that the most important thing to her is that I tell the truth. I agree. It is almost impossible to have a good relationship with another without trust and honesty. I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it. - Lee Lacocca

17. Be a self-starter To develop into a well-rounded successful person, I need to be confident and take the initiative in my learning and activities. I have to take the steps myself because being forced to do something will most likely not end well and will not be long-lasting.

18. Be decisive even if it means you will sometimes be wrong. It is important to always be able to make a decision, even if there is a chance I will be wrong because indecisiveness means nothing is done—right or wrong. I will try to be a leader and make the best decisions. I chose to come to Sequoyah even though I knew nobody!

19. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life. People in general try to blame their mistakes on others, for they do not want to take responsibility for them or find fault in themselves. However, if I keep blaming my mistakes on others, I am not being honest with myself and nothing will ever change in my life. The only person I can control is me!

20. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you will regret the things you did not do more than the things you did. I do not want to ask “What if?” too much because I will have regrets later on in life of what I could have done or accomplished. I took a chance by coming to a new school and trying new activities such as Speech and Debate even though both were a bit intimidating. A boat that never unfurls it sails will never go anywhere.

21. Take good care of those you love. Possessions will never equal the love and affection I receive from the people in my life such as my family and friends who truly love and care for me. I cherish them and will take care of them while they are still with me. My parents took care of me and I will make sure to be there when they need me.

22. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your mom proud! My mother is one of the most loving and influential people in my life. She wants what is best for me in every circumstance, even if I do not agree with her all of the time! If Iknow that she would not approve of what ever Iwant to do, it probably is not the best idea. Mom knows best and will always love me, no matter what. I never want to knowingly disappoint her.