1) Attitude is the biggest determinant of your success or failure. It doesn't matter how you really feel about something or someone, present a positive position. It will absolutely change your life. Nothing you ever do, say, think will be as powerful as having a positive attitude. It absolutely is magic. If I could go back in time and change just one thing about my life it would be to present a smile on my face and a can-do attitude.
2) Self confidence wins battles, wars, women, jobs. Self-confidence and bravery are nothing more than believing in yourself, a thing that can never be taught. If you think you can do something, don't just try it, act like your an expert. Look people in the eye -- they will look away. Be the man and you will win. If you don't have it -- PRETEND. Eventually it will be real.
3) People will betray you, hurt you, hold you back, sabotage you - EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU. People are afraid of change and when you are off conquering the world they don't want you to succeed....they want you to lie in their cesspool with them and console them. Don't let it happen.
4) Everyone is afraid. The successful ones are just hiding it better. Every single person you meet today is afraid of failing, or looking stupid, of making a mistake, of being seen as a phoney. It's not just you. It they can succeed you can too. Most of the big cheeses who run the world are no smarter than you are and many of them are dumber, they were just in the right place at the right time or knew they right guy or had pictures of someone with a donkey. Just because someone powerful says something does not make it so.
5) Everybody hurts. If the person or the organization must have an absence of pain for joy to exist then the organization or person is doomed. You must find a way to experience real joy even when under intense pain. Because everybody hurts, it's important to be kind to everyone. You never know how a kind word can mean the difference between life or death. It really does.
6) There is no such thing as an unloaded gun. Every single gun, from the moment it is manufactured, is always, 100 percent of the time loaded. It is absolute black magic, real black magic. Believe it. A bullet can go anywhere but when you shoot a gun off accidentally, it will always go where it will do the most damage. There is never, ever any such thing as an unloaded gun. EVER. As soon as you put an empty gun down, a bullet will grow inside it. I am absolutely not kidding, not even a tiny bit.
7) There are few ways of communicating better than holding hands. You can learn everything you need to know about what someone is thinking simply by holding their hand. If you want to know if your relationship is in good shape or trouble, just hold hands with your partner for 5 minutes. You will know beyond a doubt.
8) You can always get more money -- you can never get more time. When you are young you think that there is always time to do something so you put it off. DON'T. Go broke doing whatever it is you think you want, spelunking, skydiving, starting a business, learning an instrument, a trade, a hobby. The time is going to pass anyway. When it's gone, what will you have to show for it? It's never too late if you start right now. Don't wait for the future to blame the past -- forget the past, no one ever got successful thinking about the failures of the past.
9) Few things are as liberating or as powerful as forgiveness. There are lots of expressions about this, such as forgiveness is great revenge -- forget them. When you forgive someone, you are forgiving yourself. You will not believe how forgiving someone will make you feel like a huge weight is lifted off you. It doesn't matter what they did, or how guilty they are. I didn't say it was easy either. But holding a grudge, feeling resentment, hating someone is worse then letting them live rent free in your head, it actually holds you back and hold you down. When you are wrong, admit it and ask for forgiveness, If you don't get it from others, forgive yourself and focus on improving next time.
10) There are no poetic justices, happy endings or absolute love. The bad guys win at least as often as the good guys, possibly more often. It's easy to crush goodness. Goodness is weak and depends on mutual weakness to thrive. Badness only requires that one person be capable ot taking advantage. Trust everyone -- but always cut the cards. If you want a happy ending, remember that is just the beginning of the next chapter and that we all die someday. You may love someone today, they may be the ONE for you -- but they are not the only one. And if they die or leave or anything else, it's possible (but not certain or even probable) that you will find love again.