Bob's Rules

All of us live by rules.  We probably all have personal rules that we live by.  Carole and I are big fans of NCIS.  If you watch the program you know they reference Gibb’s Rules from time to time.  I got to wondering what my rules were. So here they are.  I have only been thinking about them for a short time so I reserve the right to change or add to them.

Bob Rule #1:       If you are going to be stupid you have to be tough.

There are several variations of this rule.  If you are going to be stupid it is going to hurt.  If you are going to be stupid it is going to cost you some money.  Of course the object of the game is to make good decision in a timely manner.  Recently I cut my finger with a chisel while cutting dove tails.  Right before I cut it I told myself that this was a dangerous thing to do and I need to find a way to hold the wood so my hand wouldn’t be in front of the chisel.  I didn’t see an easy way to do it so I tried to be careful.  Well I didn’t try hard enough.  I bought a couple of hold downs the next day and fixed me a jig so I don’t have to hold them any more while I am cutting.  Over the years I have made some business decision that I didn’t think felt good at the time and they cost me a bunch of money.  Maybe we should all take time to be smarter.

Bob Rule #2:       Never do anything you wouldn’t want your mother to know about.

My mom was an inspiration to me and a lot of other people.  I always wanted to do things that would make her proud of her son.  That may have been were part of my drive to succeed came from.  I used to tell our sons that they should never do anything they wouldn’t want her to know about.  If you always do things to make your mom proud it will keep you out of a lot of trouble in your life.

Bob Rule #3:       Be the best you can be.

All of us can’t be professional football players or Olympic swimmers.  Let’s face it they just were born different from you and me.  I had a good friend in High School who was a good football player.  Much better than me.  He smoked, he drank, he didn’t do what the coach told him to do, and he would slack on the practice field.  What could he have been if he had tried harder?  I get very frustrated with myself when I do something that isn’t good enough.  I am learning how to build furniture and it is challenging.  When I slip and make a bad cut it is very frustrating.  I have to practice more and work harder to do what I want to achieve.  I have never considered myself to be the best engineer.  But I have always tried to be the best I could be.  Often that meant just working harder to try to accomplish more. 

Bob Rule #4:       Never be unavailable

Especially from Carole.  I got a huge job one time because the Architect called another engineer on Friday afternoon at 4:50 and he wasn’t in the office.  I was there to take his call.  At that time the job was a year’s salary.  It made an impression.  I take calls early in the morning and late at night.  With cell phones you can always be available.  The contractors we work with start early in the morning and the architects work late into the night.  I try to always take their calls regardless of the time.  Some of the calls I take are on Friday afternoon when I am in the middle of Pensacola Bay on the sailboat.  They are paying for the boat so I need to take their call. 

Bob Rule #5:       Take time to have fun.

I work hard but I also play hard.  Carole had cancer 27 years ago.  Until that time I worked almost nonstop.  I had just started my own business and was scared of failure.  That was slapped in the face, she might not be here forever and we hadn’t had enough fun.  Since that time there is little we wanted to do that we haven’t done.  She still gives me a hard time about working so much but I have to remind her we were gone 16 weeks last year and every weekend is a 3 day weekend.  Now that she is facing cancer again we have to plan thing around her treatment schedule.  We have several trips already planned for next year plus all the weekends on the boat. 

Bob Rule #6:       Don’t worry about things you can’t control.

I love the Serenity Prayer. 

God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

I have a friend who just says, SEP.  Someone Else’s Problem.  I will never be able end wars, make national policy or thousands of other things.  So I don’t worry about them.  I can help United Way reach its goal, the Boy Scouts start a new troop, help develop land and infrastructure in Industrial Parks so hundreds of people have jobs.  Don't worry about Alabama’s football team, the coach isn’t going to call as ask for your opinion.  You can meet with the mayor and educate them on the importance of sewer in the town.  Work on thing you can change and let the rest be SEP.

Bob Rule #7:       Be aware of your surroundings.

Have you ever jumped in the ocean with a watch on and come face to face with a barracuda.  They like shiny stuff.  Just maybe that was a violation of rule #1.  You should away be aware of the conditions you put yourself or find yourself.  This applies in walking the streets of some strange town, driving down the highway or in dealing with a new client.  Often you need to rapidly adjust your position to make it to the next exit or level, but you have to be aware of your surroundings to know which way to adjust.

Bob Rule #9:      Always have your pocket knife.

OK, I stole that one from Gibbs Rule #9.  It is amazing how often a knife comes in handy.  If I have my pants on I have a knife in them.