21 Suggestions for Success

Best known for his New York Times best-seller Life's Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown Jr. also wrote this helpful list of 21 Suggestions for Success.

Jackson has said,

"Most of us know what we need to do to make our lives more fulfilled and useful, but sometimes we forget.

My little books are gentle reminders of those simple things which, done well and in a spirit of love, can significantly change our lives."

Here are the 21 suggestions for success:

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worth your time and talent.

3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.

6. Be generous.

7. Have a grateful heart.

8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.

10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.

11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

12.  Commit yourself to quality.

13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.

14.  Be loyal.

15.  Be honest.

16.  Be a self-starter.

17.  Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.

18.  Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.

19.  Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

20. Take good care of those you love.

21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

Here are some other great suggestions from Life's Little Instruction Book:

1.  Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.

2. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

3.  Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.

4. Over-tip breakfast waitresses. 

5.  Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.

6. Never resist a generous impulse. 

7. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

8. Never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. 

9. Leave everything a little better than you found it. 

10.  Call your mother.