Powell's Rules

Colin Powell has 13 rules to live by, which he has collected over the years and written down on a small, white card labeled, ¿Colin PowellŽs Rules.î Many admirers in the Pentagon keep a copy at their desks or in their wallets.

• It ainŽt as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
• Get mad, then get over it.
• Avoid having your ego so close to your position that, when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
• It can be done!
• Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
• DonŽt let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
• You canŽt make someone elseŽs choices. You shouldnŽt let someone else make yours.
• Check small things.
• Share credit.
• Remain calm. Be kind.
• Have a vision. Be demanding.
• DonŽt take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
• Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

ZEN SARCASM

• Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
• The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
• It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
• Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
• Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
• Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
• If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
• Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
• If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
• Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
• If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
• If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
• Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
• Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
• A closed mouth gathers no foot.
• Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
• There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
• Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
• Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
• Never miss a good chance to shut up.
• Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
• Don't get soaked. Take a quick peak at the forecast.