{"id":106,"date":"2025-03-21T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottferguson.com\/thoughts\/?p=106"},"modified":"2026-01-24T14:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:40:41","slug":"25-rules-to-live-by","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottferguson.com\/thoughts\/2025\/03\/25-rules-to-live-by\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Common Sense Rules to Live By (aka: Dad-isms That Still Hold Up)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somewhere between growing up, raising a family, and leading teams, I started keeping a mental (and now written) list of life lessons\u2014what you might call \u201cdad-isms\u201d or plain old common sense.<\/p>\n

These are bits of wisdom, wrapped in humor, usually learned the hard way, and repeated often enough to become second nature. They apply at work, home, and anywhere else humans interact, fail, or forget to use common sense.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my<\/a> list of 25 common sense rules to live by\u2014some serious, some sarcastic, all (I think) worth remembering.<\/p>\n

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The Common Sense List<\/h5>\n
1. Never argue with an idiot; they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Arguing with fools is like wrestling a pig\u2014you both get dirty, and the pig likes it.<\/p>\n

2. Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Don\u2019t ask people to be objective when their answer comes with commission.<\/p>\n

3. You will either take the time to do it right or take the time to do it twice.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Pick your pain: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.<\/p>\n

4. Measure twice and cut once.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Applies to boards, budgets, and bold decisions.<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t let perfect get in the way of good.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Perfection is the enemy of progress\u2014and an excuse for procrastination.<\/p>\n

6. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Winging it works\u2026 until it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

7. If you raise your children, you get to spoil your grandchildren. But if you spoil your children, you\u2019ll be raising your grandchildren.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

A multigenerational cause-and-effect lesson, right there.<\/p>\n

8. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Some of y\u2019all are giving TED Talks when you should be whispering.<\/p>\n

9. Don\u2019t put off finishing your work. Procrastination is just laziness wearing a deadline.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

It\u2019s not time management\u2014it\u2019s excuse management.<\/p>\n

10. Experience is what you get when you don\u2019t get what you want.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Life has a weird way of teaching, especially when it says \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

11. In 20 years, the only ones who will remember the long hours you worked will be your family.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Don\u2019t trade what matters most for what matters now.<\/p>\n

12. When leading a team, if you find no one following, you\u2019re not a leader\u2014you\u2019re just out for a walk.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Check your mirror. Leadership requires more than movement.<\/p>\n

13. Buy the best, and only cry once.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Cheap usually means \u201cyou\u2019ll be buying this again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

14. In conflict, look forward five years. Will the contention still matter? If not, it doesn\u2019t matter now.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Save your energy for the hills worth dying on.<\/p>\n

15. You have two ears and one mouth; use them in that ratio.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Listening is underrated, and talking is overused.<\/p>\n

16. Opinions are like noses\u2014everyone has one, and most of them smell.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Just because you can<\/em> say it doesn\u2019t mean you should<\/em>.<\/p>\n

17. Never eat the last piece of something you didn\u2019t buy.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

This is how family feuds start.<\/p>\n

18. If you\u2019re not invited, don\u2019t ask to go.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Forced inclusion is still exclusion with an awkward smile.<\/p>\n

19. The way you do anything is the way you\u2019ll do everything.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Small habits reveal big patterns.<\/p>\n

20. If it takes less than five minutes, do it now.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The little things stack up. So do the excuses.<\/p>\n

21. Character is who you are when no one\u2019s watching. Integrity is doing the right thing anyway.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Don\u2019t confuse reputation with reality.<\/p>\n

22. Don\u2019t let your mouth write checks your character can\u2019t cash.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Talk less. Show more.<\/p>\n

23. Excuses are lies you tell yourself so you can feel better about not doing the thing.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Let that one marinate.<\/p>\n

24. You don\u2019t rise to the level of your goals\u2014you fall to the level of your systems.<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Want better results? Build better habits.<\/p>\n

25. Every once in a while, stop and ask: \u201cIs this the hill I\u2019m willing to die on?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Spoiler: Most things aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\n

Final Thought<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Life moves fast. It\u2019s easy to react, speak, decide, and scroll without thinking. But here\u2019s the thing: wisdom often looks like pausing for just a moment<\/em> before you act.<\/p>\n