14 Things to Remember About Life

By: Mark Sanborn

1. Free lunches are paid for with real money.
Things like food have costs associated with them. Even if you don’t pay for your lunch, somebody else does. When there are more people eating free lunches than funding them, the free lunches stop.

2. When you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always depend on Paul’s support.
George Bernard Shaw originally said that, and it explains why people getting the handout always favor “redistribution.” But you can’t rob Peter forever. He or she will eventually run out of resources to redistribute and quit.

3. There is nothing wrong with legally earned wealth.
Dinesh D’Souza said it well: “When we do well, we call it success. When someone else does well, we call it greed.”  Wealth is created by the efforts of individuals and companies. It is a reward for producing something others value. Usually if someone isn’t like for the wealth they’ve earned, it isn’t because of unfairness, but envy.

4. Focus on the problem and the solution, not the personality and the spin.
The most outrageous statements get more press than the sane, levelheaded statements. Don’t believe that just because you read it on the Internet or heard it on TV that it is true. And remember that politicians like to say outrageous things to get attention.

5. Self-initiative is always a good thing.
As long as it is legal and ethical, self-initiative is what creates wealth for individuals and countries. Any system that discourages or punishes people for taking the effort to care for themselves and build things isn’t a good system.

6. Government should only help those that need help, not everyone who wants help.
There are those who truly need assistance, and a compassionate society helps provide for the. There are also those who want help even though they don’t need it. We should guard against those.

7. You are responsible for you.
Others may well be willing to help you but never expect them to do it for you. If you are an adult, you are ultimately responsible for you. Not the government, your family member, friend or someone else.

8. Freedom comes from self-responsibility.
If you depend on someone else to care and provide for you, you will never be truly free.

9. Good politics represent your interest; bad politics represent the system’s interests.
If the person you voted for stops representing what you believe right, don’t vote for them again. Believe results, not campaign promises.

10. Sharing your opinion with your elected officials is far more effective than sharing it with your friends.
Griping to and with friends will let you vent, but unless you share your opinion with your elected officials, it won’t accomplish much.

11. Government should give poor people the opportunity to get rich, not make rich people poor.
You don’t raise a nation’s standard of living by only taking from those who have more. You raise it by creating opportunities for those who don’t have as much.

12. Life isn’t always fair, but is always worth living.
Don’t waste time debating the fairness of life. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Focus on the tremendous opportunities and value of life despite the times when it is unfair.

13. If you can’t help solve some of the world’s problems, at least don’t be one.
When you can, add to the solution. When you can’t, don’t add to the problem.

14. You’ll never be grateful for what you’ll get if you aren’t grateful for what you have.
The comparison game is a dead-end. There will always be those who have less and those who have more. Start by being grateful for whatever you have. Gratitude is the antidote to negativity and the starting gate for opportunity.

Mark Sanborn is an acclaimed speaker and bestselling author of 8 books. He is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio for leadership development. Mark is the recipient of The Ambassador of Free Enterprise Award from Sales & Marketing Executives, International. For more information, visit www.marksanborn.com