I haven't posted in a long time, so it's feeling like it's time.

This isn't an advice column.  I usually stick to Scouting topics, but sometimes I let myself write whatever's on my mind.  This is one of those times.  I was reading an article with oddball bits and pieces of wisdom that others have gathered, so I thought I'd put them here. I'll bet you can match many of these to a point of the Scout Law and Oath. Enjoy.

• Compliment people behind their backs instead of being snarky. You'd rather be known as a good friend than as a backstabber.
• Buy cheap tools at first and invest in better quality tools once they wear out or break. If you wear a tool out, it means you use it a lot and it’s worth it to spend more money on a better-quality tool that will last longer and work better.
  
• Experience is what you get when you can't get what you want.
• Tomorrow may not be better, but at least it’ll be different.
  
• Unpack your suitcase/backpack the second you get home. Make your bed as soon as you roll out of it - even before you go to the bathroom. Small, quick wins can set the tone for your life.
• Smile at strangers when you’re out and about - it can have some unintended, positive side effects. You never know what others are going through, and simply smiling at someone might turn their day around.
  
• When you can't choose between two things, flip a coin. Then choose the thing you were hoping for.
• Stick to the same sleep schedule on your days off as you do on school/work days.
• If you plan to write anything - a note, a letter, a book report, a term paper, a thesis, or a novel - just start writing. Don't worry about sentences, structure, edits, or next steps. Just start and see what comes next, because you can't edit a blank page.
• Pay bills, save, and then spend.
• Just don't <insert_what _you_want _to_stop_doing_here> today. You can do that. Then repeat tomorrow.
• Practice gratitude. Grateful people are happy people.
• You're not hungry, you're thirsty.
• Show up.  Just being the one who shows up - even if you're not the best - means a lot to everyone.
• Don't apologize and make everything all about you: put the other person at the center and thank them.  It's the difference between, "I'm sorry I'm late," and "Thank you for being patient."
• When you're overwhelmed and stressed out, make a to-do list. When you're in that mindset, you think, "I know what needs to be done, but I can't possibly do it all."  But when you write it down, it doesn't have to live in your brain, and you can focus on the individual tasks.
• If you want or need something, it’s best to be direct. Don't hint, and don't make people guess. As a Cajun friend once told me, "Dem folks who don' say what dey want don' get nothin' but disappointed and disrespected."
• Don't skimp on the things that separate you from the ground: money spent on good shoes, good tires, and a good bed is well-spent.
• It may be tough right now, but fill your tank all the way up instead of a little at a time.
• When you're sad, eat healthy stuff, get outside, and exercise.
• Clean as you cook, do the dishes right away, and pick up your house for 10 minutes a day in order to keep things under control. It might be boring, but it beats having to clean for hours at a time.
  
• Clean house before leaving for more than 5 days - nothing beats coming home to a clean house.
• If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it immediately.
• If your gums bleed when you floss, then you’re not flossing enough.
  
• If you have nausea, suck on an ice cube (don't chew it.)
• If your gut reaction to something isn’t immediately ‘yes,’ then it’s a definite ‘no.’
• Just shut up and listen. Actually listen. I don't know about you, but I've never learned anything from listening to myself.
• Be yourself. The less you care about what other people think and the more real you are, the more people start to love you.
• An organized space can make you feel more in control and lessen anxiety.
  
• Don't force it. If it doesn’t fit, it’s not supposed to. (That applies to more than shoes.)
• If you don’t have anything nice or constructive to say, just keep it to yourself. 
  
• Don't look for a happy life; look for happy moments.
• Ask anyway - the worst they can say is "no."
• Find one little thing that you love about yourself. It doesn't have to be big - it can be a freckle on your nose or something that you know you can do. Whenever you feel low self-esteem creeping in, remember that one thing that you love about yourself, and you'll start to feel better. And find a new thing to love about yourself every month.  Make a list of them.
  
• Think positive thoughts before you go to bed. And then don't think. You'll get to sleep faster and wake up better.
• Slow down while driving. It's better to lose a second of your life than to lose your life in a second.
• There's what you need, there's what you want, and there's what you can't afford.
• If you feel like quitting, then just tell yourself that the story doesn't end this way. Never let anyone else write your life for you.
• Don't suffer future pain.
• Leave your cell phone in another room - not where you sleep.
• Before I do anything I ask myself, "Would an idiot do that?" If the answer's "Yes," then I don't do it.