Traditions You Need To Observe

As a stand up guy it’s necessary to observe the traditions marked on your calendar.  Forget to buy your woman flowers on her birthday or congratulate your parents on their 30th anniversary, and you’ll be left in the doghouse. There are dramatic consequences for screwing up these basic ”traditions,” which is why it’s easier to remember them. However, you also must respect and abide by a set of unspoken customs that get put on the back burner more often than not. These are the day to day rituals that keep your residence in order. They are an expression of true devotion to your family, and are symbolic of the responsibility and leadership that you, as the Man of the household, must maintain. Kick yourself in the ass and make sure you follow these traditions you need to observe.

Family Dinner

Gathering around the dinner table each night with your family is important for many reasons. It’s a time when stories are shared and memories are made. With a demanding job. It’s easy to lose track of the details of your family. This is your chance to fill in the gaps and make up for lost time. For you true men, dinner is more than a meal. It is one of those traditions you need to observe and make sure that everyone takes part in. Whether you cook the pasta or simply serve drinks, everyone in your family should have a role in the preparation of this feast. The key to a stable household is strong family ties.

Vacations

Taking a vacation to the same destination each year will create a bond between your family. However, these trips should not be fluff excursions to Maui or the Caribbean. Tropical islands and plush resorts won’t give your children a perspective on where you came from. Take your family back to the small town or village where you or your parents grew up. The same village your grandparents continue to call “home.” Your children can’t get by there without learning a little mother tongue and following the local customs. Make sure the ones you love value their heritage and know where they came from. That’s why family centric vacations are traditions you need to observe.

The family Roles

Rites of passage should be followed to the letter. These days, kids are running over their parents left and right because they are soft. These little brats aren’t learning the fundamental skills and responsibility that are required of adults. And so what if they aren’t of legal working age? When your son turns 13, don’t give him allowance unless he does some house chore. Have your daughter fix meals and clean up the kitchen. You didn’t have it any easier, and why should they? Just remember, don’t make blind demands. Show them how to complete these tasks before you send them off on their own. If you are fixing the something in the house, bring them along and show them the ropes. Next time a pipe bursts, let them take a shot at repairing it.

Weddings/Funerals

traditions you need to observe, as in you have to attend. Both weddings and funerals offer the opportunity to not only see and spend time with friends and family, but basically, attending such events is just something you should do. Celebrate at weddings and pay your respects at funerals. All is not lost though, remember it’s important that you respect these traditions you need to observe. They are the customs that molded you into the man you are today, and these same activities will instill in your children a sense of maturity and responsibility in life.

The Carrot Or The Stick

In business, one should employ an incentive-based regime. If you want a guy to do the job, you'll entice him with one of two things. Sometimes you should hint that a fat envelope will be coming his way; other times you'll subtlety mention he might be getting "laid off".  Not everyone takes both angles. There are some men who always follow the passive route, failing to understand the stick is often a necessity. Then there are the hard-ass jokers, who never bother to realize the importance of the carrot. To be successful in any aspect of life, whether a man of high importance or some ordinary worker, you need to know when to use the carrot or the stick -- aka reward versus punishment.

Here are a few tips to help you decide whether it’s better to use the carrot or the stick.

With the Kid

The Carrot

When it comes to raising a kid, the carrot or the stick dilemma is quickly disappearing as too many parents take the carrot approach to the extreme. In child rearing, the carrots should never be materialistic things. If you want to solicit good behavior with a reward, it should be with something that can’t be bought. Say, trust.

The stick

Nowadays, no one likes to use the stick anymore, or in my father’s case, the belt. It’ll never hurt to instill a little fear in your young ones. I’m not condoning child abuse, if you even want to call it that, but I am encouraging parents to toughen up a bit. You don’t want your kid to test your limits only to find out he can get away with it. If the little brat misses curfew and you want to raise a man, raise the hand and let him know it comes down on the second offense.

At the Office

The carrot

People need encouragement and incentives to perform well. However, the carrot only really works well with employees who have already proved themselves. If you've got some clown who can’t show up at the office before noon, the promise of a raise isn’t going to do much. On the contrary, if there’s a guy with a good work ethic, he’ll thrive when you add a promotion to the picture.

The stick

When considering the carrot or the stick in the office, remember that, overall, the stick is the more practical method in the office. A wise man, once said "it’s best to be both loved and feared." However, Machiavelli finished that claim by noting if you can’t be both, it’s better to be feared. It’s tempting to have everyone love you, but running a business isn’t like running a family. You need to have the stick constantly raised and you need to make sure that your subordinates understand it’ll come crashing down if need be. This is all figuratively speaking, of course, since HR might have a problem with an actual stick.

Never Reveal The Whole Story

You know what distinguishes the guys who make it from the guys who always miss the cut? The ones who make it always have a plan, the other guys only have their pipe dreams.

A master plan for your life, a business opportunity, or anything else, always gives you an advantage over the other guy who is clueless. The guys who are successful in business, the only success worth measuring (let's face it, we are judged by how many zeros we have in our bank accounts) stand out from others who are still polishing their shoes because their plans were greater and better executed than anybody else's.

The men who make it, the ones with the best plans, know something you don't. It's the little details that set people apart. Everyone knows the big stuff; knowing the intricacies of life will differentiate (big words) you from others. So if you know something that most don't, why tell them?

That's why one of the things i learnt the hard way and have made it one of my golden rules is to never reveal 100% of anything to anyone. You reveal only what needs to be revealed to get a job done, or get your point across. Always withhold something 50%, 10%, even 1% of what you know. Don't just give away mama's secret recipe to impress someone. That 1% you withhold is the small detail that will make you rich off the other guy, and not the other way around.

Keep The Plan To Yourself

When you get that genius idea that is going to make you prosperous, your big plan , you can't share it with others. The minute your plan comes out of its box, it's like spoiled milk.

The Coca-Cola formula is a good example of how keeping a plan secret can line many pockets. That formula is the key to a multi-billion dollar fortune. Do you think the pharmacist who invented it would have the legacy he has now had he told his poker and drinking buddies exactly how he made it?

A real good plan shouldn't even be put down on paper. It should only be available in your head, if you can pull it off without needing a paper trail.

As I go through life I tend to assume everyone I meet will try to screw me over. So I learned a while back to keep my mouth shut. Even when I need to open my mouth, I am always careful. Even my closest friends don't know everything I know.

That said, your plan is worthless unless you put it into action, and, often, you need help to execute it, so you can't keep 100% of it to yourself.

Keep your banana hidden...

Information You Should Take To The Grave

Good Day Peoples,

I am going to discuss the importance of keeping your mouth shut and not saying more than you have to. The general rule is simple, unless you have to, don't say any more than necessary, or it will come back to bite you in the testicles.

But wait, there are times when you have to open your mouth, or you risk disrespecting someone or coming off as an arrogant prick. If someone starts acting all coy and mysterious with you when you ask him something, you should get suspicious. And when you get suspicious, somebody usually gets there ass kicked.

So yes, you can open your mouth, just make sure certain things are never said. Before I reveal the list of information you should take to your grave, let me remind you of one thing some wise old bastard said after probably having too many drinks: "A smart man never alters his state of consciousness."

It basically means don't get drunk, because if you do, you're likely to say things that will make you look like a dick head. So, be especially careful never to get yourself into a state of severe intoxication, or you might never wake up from that state if the wrong thing is said to the wrong person. Understood?

Things You Never Say In Public

I've always thought that people talk too much, i probably to have been a statistic. If it were up to me, everyone would have a zipper on their mouths that could only be opened by someone who actually wants to hear from them. That would be a piece of heaven on earth, no?

Back to reality. Here's my list of things you should keep quiet about. They aren't in order of importance because I don't have the time to put them in order. So here goes:

1. How Much Money You Make

You want to become a target? Let people know how much money you have. You'll only have your jealous colleagues poisoning that dirty water you call your morning coffee. Not only will you sound like stupid if you reveal this information, your phone number becomes the first one on speed dial every time someone needs a little extra cash.

People don't want to know how much money you earn, unless you plan on giving them some. You make 40Mil a year? So what? What do you want, a pat on the back from a made man like myself? Or a ransom note for one of your children?

Being modest never killed anyone. No one likes a showoff, especially when it comes to money. So put your wallet away, and wank.

If you want to hurt someone, do it privately...