Advice survey: best, worst, silliest/funniest

[Whistlin'Dixie]

Bless my sistah! who told me once when we were both teenagers:

"You have a mind of your own, you know...."

M

[SteveShaw]

Illegitimes non carborundum.

Steve

[Jerry Freeman]

Some of the best advice came from one of those success books (Seven Habits maybe) in the form of a chapter called "The Complete Act."

The author told a story about having been given a school assignment that required doing some background reading, writing a paper, and placing the completed paper in a box on the teacher's desk. The author worked very hard and wrote a paper that was certain to get the highest grade. Then he placed the completed paper on the teacher's desk.

Later, he was dismayed when he received the paper back bearing a grade of F.

When he complained to the teacher, the teacher told him he received a failing grade because he didn't complete the project. He had been instructed to place the paper in the box on the teacher's desk, which he failed to do.

Since then, the author reports, he has benefited by taking an approach of always making sure that loose ends are tied and details completed in whatever he does.

Since reading that some years ago, I've found that I tend to think in terms of completed tasks and scan for loose ends and uncompleted bits that might eventually be problematic, rather than simply working on something for a stretch of time and then going on to other things. My life has been far simpler and more successful since.

And, of course, the standard guideline for mechanics, "Torque it down until it breaks and then back it off a quarter turn."

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Cynth]

When my husband was in graduate school his professor would say
"When you can't figure out what to do, just do something."

I've said that to myself many times when I've been overwhelmed by messes or assignments, etc. It really seems to work. Even if what you start with doesn't really need to be done, it gets your brain and body moving and then you start to see what you should be doing.

[Innocent Bystander]

"Don't force it, Get a bigger hammer."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Svejk's Advice: "Maul Halten und weiter dienen."
("Hold your tongue and get on with your job." If you've read "The Good Soldier Svejk, you'll know he did anything but.)

And the worst advice:

"Have a go! What's the worst that could happen?"

[missy]

righty tighty, lefty lucy.

The perfect tool box - a can of WD40 and a roll of duct tape. If it's stuck, the WD 40 will unstick it. If it needs sticking, the duct tape will stick it.

When working on electronic stuff, hook one finger through your back belt loop. That will prevent you from completing a circuit with your body.

[Innocent Bystander]

Once upon a time I was trying to make a sauce. I think it was a Bechamel sauce. It might have been a Hollandaise. I couldn't work out the order in which to add the ingredients.
I asked my old Mum. She said: "If it doesn't seem to make any difference, put them all in at once."

So I did. I'll never do that again. And I learned what order to add the stuff.

[peeplj]

Best advice: 'Don't touch that!!!"

Worst advice: "Not that! THAT!!!"

...or maybe that's backwards...

--James

[Redwolf]

Probably the worst (and the silliest!) advice I ever got was from my sister's ignorant, hillbilly father-in-law (yes, we do have hillbillies in Washington State!). When my sister told him I was running in a 10K on Sunday, he told me very solemnly that "wimmin shouldn't run becuz all they female parts might fall out." (I quietly went into another room and laughed myself sick!)

Redwolf

[Dale]

Worst advice: Cut the blue wire. No the red wire. NO! The blue wire. Yeah. That's the one. Cut that one.