Never Buy Underwear at a Thrift Store: 38 Pieces of Life-Changing Advice
I’m a Harvard Law grad turned NFL coach turned university professor. This year, I turned 38. The lessons below are tidbits that I’ve learned from getting wait-listed at Harvard for three years, working with 3 NFL teams, chasing four kids and coaching people to realize their dreams.
1. Leadership and management are two different things. The former has a pulse.
2. There is a thin line between being witty and being a jerk. Speak responsibly.
3. Never buy underwear at a thrift store.
4. Manufacture your own energy.
5. Get really good at cooking one dish. So good, in fact, that when people have potlucks they whisper things like, “I hope Daron brings his twice-baked potato casserole.”
6. Avoid conference calls.
7. Keep asking, Why.
8. Every morning, look in the mirror and tell yourself what you are going to achieve that day.
9. Every night, look in the mirror and ask yourself what you achieved that day.
10. Never hit the Reply to All button. Ever.
11. Walk into your closet. Find your most comfortable pair of jeans. Buy five pair of them.
12. Walk into your closet. Find your least comfortable pair of shoes. Take them to Goodwill.
13. Stop asking kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
14. Start asking kids, “Who do you want to help when you grow up?”
15. Go to a country that doesn’t speak your native tongue and try to talk to people.
16. If you can’t dance, make sure you’re the first person to hit the dance floor.
17. Don’t let a bad pair of shoes ruin a great suit.
18. Avoid meals after 7 pm, unless you’re at a celebration. Then, gorge with reckless abandon.
19. Take a social media hiatus for at least 48 hours once every quarter.
20. Never go cheap on two things: toilet paper and pillows.
21. Hug your wife/husband/partner/dog.
22. Don’t respond to social media trolls. They have more time than you.
23. Never outsource your inspiration.
24. Write your own eulogy. This isn’t a metaphor — I mean it. WRITE YOUR OWN EULOGY.
25. Look at next week’s calendar. How much time are you spending with people who are going to be at your funeral?
26. In your will, instruct people what music to play. If you don’t, your kids will play Purple Rain and you really wanted the crowd to hear Everything I Do I Do It for You.
27. Observe a sacred practice in a religion that is not your own. I’m Baptist but observed Hanukah last year. Jesus was Jewish. It all makes sense.
28. If your grandparents are alive, call them right now.
29. Be nice to your kids. They will be changing your diapers soon and planning your funeral (see #26).
30. If you have to give people tough feedback, sit next to them not across from them.
31. If you get good customer service, ask for a manager, and request that the giver of good service get a raise.
32. Never hold “thank you’s” hostage.
33. Never negotiate with terrorists, but do cut deals with children. [Note: If you meet a child who also happens to be a terrorist, then…good luck.]
34. After you turn 30, pick three cocktails and stick to them.
35. Never stand in line for more than one minute to board a Southwest plane. You look like an idiot.
36. Don’t argue via text.
37. Efficiency is not always the answer. Cargo pants and fanny packs are efficient, but you should never wear them.
38. Choose to live the life that you want or someone else will.
Through DKR Strategies, LLC, I help companies individuals and enhance their leadership capacity. My book, Call An Audible, gives you an inside look into my journey from Harvard Law to the NFL and at the end of each chapter, I highlight a set of Pivot Points™ — actionable steps that will empower you to get from where you are to where you want to be. Get a signed copy by clicking here.
