1. Stand up to shake hands. Shake a man’s hand firmly and a ladies hand gently, and only if she offers it. Couple your hand shaking with a warm smile.

2.  Leave every place you stay as a guest better than it was when you found it. Police your trash in a campsite, and anyone else’s you find.

3. Learn how to sing. And how to sing in a choir. And the difference.

4. In a negotiation, the man who cares least is in control. Have a fallback position that is secure whatever the outcome of the talk.

5. Request the late check-out if you need it.  If you don’t, tell the hotel desk clerk when you leave  early.  Either way, ALWAYS tip the maid.

6. When entrusted with a confidence, keep it.

7. Hold your current heroes to a high standards. But recognize that measuring past heroes must be done by standards of their time, and that every era–including this one–has many wrong assumptions and beliefs.

8. Return a borrowed car with a full tank of gas and clean inside and out.

9. Play with passion or not at all…unless you are playing to build up the downtrodden.  Then play with the mind of a teacher and a poet.

10. Do something every day for your physical health, your mental health, and your spiritual health.

11. Have the courage of your convictions, but be empathetic and willing to engage in earnest discussion with those who are reasonable. Do not waste time on the arrogant who will not change their beliefs whatever the evidence says.

12. There is a time for music on the beach, and time for the music of the beach. Enjoy both.

13. Carry a pocketknife, and keep it sharp.

14. Marry the girl for life, and be faithful and true to her for all your days.  Thank God every day for her and be her knight.

15. Be like a duck. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like crazy underneath towards your chosen destination.

16. Experience the serenity of traveling alone, and the joy of traveling with a brotherhood.

17. Never be afraid to ask out the best looking girl in the room…until you have married.  Thenceforth, your wife IS the best looking girl in the room.  Always.

18. Learn to tie a bow tie.

19. A sport coat is worth 1000 words.

20. Write your own eulogy. And keep revising it.

21. Thank a veteran.

22. Eat lunch with the new kid. And ask lots of questions about him, because you genuine want to learn.

23. After writing an angry email, read it carefully. Then delete it. And if it truly needs to be sent, rewrite it you would want it to be were you the recipient.

24. Always be mindful of your mission and your troops.  Pray for both at the start and end of each day.

25. Manners make the man. 

26. Give credit. Take the blame.

27. Stand up to bullies. Protect those who are bullied.

28. Build your dreams and your dreams will build you.

29. Always protect your siblings (and your teammates).

30. Be confident and humble at the same time. (Walk with crowds and keep your virtue, and with kings without losing the common touch–Rudyard Kipling).

31. Call and visit your parents often. They miss you.

32. The healthiest relationships are those where you’re a team; where you respect, protect, and stand up for each other.

33.  Your integrity is not for sale.  Be the man who follows through on his word–always.  Choose the harder right over the easier wrong.

(Learn the West Point Cadet prayer, even if you are not a Cadet. It is a great blueprint for living).