Thread by @FrankLuntz

At the end of each year, I think about my successes, my failures, and what I could’ve done better.

I will present these #LuntzLifeLessons over the next 10 days to encourage the thoughtful conversation and respectful reflection we all want, need, and deserve.

This #LuntzLifeLessons thread is dedicated to my students all across the globe. You have made my life meaningful and purposeful, and I should at least try to do the same for you.

But since this is Twitter instead of a classroom, all lessons will be taught with memes. 😆

1. The first rule of life is that there are no rules.

Every day is different.
Every experience is memorable.
Every person is special.

You just have to look closely and listen carefully. #LuntzLifeLessons

2. Live your life with purpose.

Every single day you have values to uphold, principles to live by, and priorities to achieve.

And every minute matters… Don’t waste them. #LuntzLifeLessons

3. Forgive someone every day. 

Apologize to someone every day.

Make someone smile every day.

That’s the definition of the perfect day. #LuntzLifeLessons

4. Decide what you’re good at and find a way to make money from it.

That’s much easier than learning or pretending to enjoy what pays well. #LuntzLifeLessons

5. No good deed goes unpunished.

Do them anyway. #LuntzLifeLessons

6. Every day (whether it’s people or food or entertainment) give yourself 30 minutes to love something.

But earn it. Deserve it. 
Don’t give yourself a treat for nothing.  #LuntzLifeLessons

7. Adventure makes for a few good hours. Curiosity makes for a few great days.

But discovery makes for a truly great life. #LuntzLifeLessons

8. Resilience does not guarantee success.

But giving up guarantees failure.  #LuntzLifeLessons

9. Look up. 📲

The virtual world on your phone can wait. It’s the life ahead of you that you don’t want to miss.

And look back – what’s behind you could be just as important as what’s ahead. #LuntzLifeLessons

10. Other than parenting, there is no activity more rewarding than teaching.  #LuntzLifeLessons

11.  Become a mentor.
Help the next generation make better decisions and be better people than you are.

You’ll learn more about yourself by helping others. #LuntzLifeLessons

12. There’s no better wake-up beverage than a Diet Coke and a double espresso. #LuntzLifeLessons

I firmly believe that we learn far more from our losses and mistakes than our successes and victories.

Here are a few ideas (many from my own life) about how NOT to live life in 2022.

Feel free to add your own.
Just remember: My students will be watching, so plz be respectful.

13. Never do something that you’d be afraid or embarrassed to tell your grandmother.

#LuntzLifeLessons

14. “If only I had” are the four worst words in life.

Live a “no regrets” life – and do so with passion and conviction. #LuntzLifeLessons

15. Never miss a chance to say “I love you” to those you love – they won’t be around forever.

Years ago, I went to sleep with two parents. I woke up having just one. #LuntzLifeLessons

16. Never stop saying “thank you” to the people who really deserve it.

They’ll never tire of hearing it.   #LuntzLifeLessons

17. Don’t put your business relationships ahead of personal friendships.

Co-workers come and go.
Friendship (if it is genuine) lasts forever.

18. Humility is more important than pride.

Too many young people are told to be proud when they have done nothing to earn or deserve it.

Too much pride can get you unfriended, fired, or even killed. #LuntzLifeLessons

19. Make your relationships personal, not transactional.

Trading favors is transactional. Sharing life’s successes and failures is personal. #LuntzLifeLessons

20. Don’t judge people too quickly.

It takes time to get to know them for who they really are.  Be patient.  Give them the chance to surprise you. #LuntzLifeLessons

21. Whoever said “don’t sweat the small stuff” is an idiot.

No truly successful person ever ignores the details. Little mistakes will eventually lead to huge mistakes. #LuntzLifeLessons

22. Don’t say “Have a nice day.”

No one believes you really mean it. #LuntzLifeLessons

23. There is no such thing as “free.”

There is a cost to everything in life. #LuntzLifeLessons

24. Never resell or re-gift tickets given to you.

They were meant for YOU, not for Stubhub. #LuntzLifeLessons

25. Never miss an opportunity to use the bathroom.

You don’t know when it will come again. #LuntzLifeLessons

26. Never leave a game early.

I've missed some of the greatest comebacks in sports history because I ignored my own advice.

Go to games with people you actually like, so it won't matter if you have to sit in traffic afterward. #LuntzLifeLessons

This entire series was created for my students… But my friends in politics could definitely benefit from the next set of #LuntzLifeLessons.

Separating the essential from the desirable (and putting friends/family ahead of business/profit) are crucial for living a great life.

27. Your kids and your parents come first. Always.

It’s the only responsibility in life that you cannot delay or deny. #LuntzLifeLessons

28. Create an algorithm (formula) for your life.

Not every decision has equal weight. Differentiate between what’s interesting, what’s important and what’s essential.

It’s the easiest way to make seemingly difficult decisions among competing priorities. #LuntzLifeLessons

29. Your single greatest asset is your health… Both mental and physical.

Without them, nothing else matters. Nourish both every single day.

I didn’t, and I regret it every single day. #LuntzLifeLessons

30. Your second greatest asset is your reputation.

Guard it with your life.

It takes forever to build a good reputation. It takes a split-second of stupidity to destroy it. #LuntzLifeLessons

31. Don’t obsess over what other people think of you or say behind your back.

Your friends will forgive your mistakes and embrace your weaknesses. Your enemies will hate you no matter what you say and do. #LuntzLifeLessons

32. Never be afraid to do the right thing.

And tell the truth – always.

It may be difficult in certain situations, but your life will be infinitely better if people who matter trust you to tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. #LuntzLifeLessons

33. Surround yourself with people smarter than you, and you’ll learn a lot.

Surround yourself with people funnier than you, and you’ll laugh a lot.

Surround yourself with people better than you, and you’ll be better. #LuntzLifeLessons

34. Be the friend to others that you want others to be for you.

Everyone is there for the good times. A true friend is there when things go bad. #LuntzLifeLessons

The world is filled with people who blame others for their own failures. Don't be one of them.

Set your priorities, craft your life strategies, and let nothing stand in your way – literally nothing.

I'll show you how over the next 2 days… #LuntzLifeLessons

35. Life isn’t easy or fair… But no one can truly make it better for you than you.

If you think you’re a victim, you are. If you think you have control, you do. #LuntzLifeLessons

36. Pursue the truth. Speak the truth. Demand the truth.

Don’t be silent in the face of lies. #LuntzLifeLessons

37. Pursue perfection.

You’ll never achieve it, but the pursuit itself means every day will be better than the last.  #LuntzLifeLessons

38. Intellect is less important than decency.

A smart person with no character is dangerous. #LuntzLifeLessons

39. Don’t be mean.

And when (not if) you are, apologize. #LuntzLifeLessons

40. Have the courage to admit you’re wrong.

Be brave enough to fight for what is right. #LuntzLifeLessons

41. What you give is far more important than what you get.

Every day, try to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. It will give you as much joy as you give to others. #LuntzLifeLessons

42. You’ll learn a lot about life just from watching Seinfeld.

My favorite Seinfeld lesson: “Even Steven.”

If you don’t know what this is, look it up.  #LuntzLifeLessons

43. Mediocrity sucks.

Whatever you do, be the best you can be. Nothing else is worthy of your efforts. #LuntzLifeLessons

44. In life, it’s the results that matter, not the effort.

You will be rewarded for what you produce, not how hard you try. #LuntzLifeLessons

45. Take time to celebrate the small successes in life.

The big ones don’t come around nearly enough. #LuntzLifeLessons

46. It is much harder to get people to forget than it is to get them to remember. #LuntzLifeLessons

47. Don’t just tolerate the people in your life.

Embrace them. #LuntzLifeLessons

48. People will tell you how much better you look during a diet.

But don’t assume you’ll feel better. You won’t.

All the words/phrases I've ever developed came from a feeling of frustration or desperation.

From the Contract with America to “death tax,” it took repeated trial & error before I found the words that work.

It also required me to talk less and listen more.  #LuntzLifeLessons

49. If you want to be heard, first you have to listen.

Pay attention to every word.
You’ll learn and understand more, and people will appreciate the attention. #LuntzLifeLessons

50. You’ll learn more from those you disagree with than those who tell you what you already know.

Surround yourself with people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. #LuntzLifeLessons

51. You’ll learn so much more from failure than you will from success.

It may be painful, but eventually it will be profitable.  #LuntzLifeLessons

52. You won’t get the right answers until you learn to ask the right questions.

Learn how to ask “Why?”
It’s the single greatest question ever posed. #LuntzLifeLessons

53. Everyone has a story.
Every situation has a teaching moment.  Find it. #LuntzLifeLessons

The most common question I receive from my students isn't about how to get the job they want. They want to know how they can make a difference.

These are my answers… #LuntzLifeLessons

54. Being able to foresee the future is more important than being able to explain the present. #LuntzLifeLessons

55. There is nothing more powerful and impactful than an angry mom.

She can (and will) do anything and everything for her family. #LuntzLifeLessons

56. Practice addition, not subtraction.

More people, more ideas, and more effort is always better than less. #LuntzLifeLessons

57. Don’t make a statement.  Make a difference.

Be significant and impactful in everything you do. #LuntzLifeLessons

58. Be silent. 

Appreciate the value of an unexpressed thought.

The world doesn’t need to know everything you’re thinking at every moment of the day. #LuntzLifeLessons

59. Don’t strive to just be remembered. People remember hurricanes and dictators.

Instead, strive to be significant. Be impactful. Make a difference.

Prove every single day that you have earned the gift of life. #LuntzLifeLessons

The older I get, the dumber I feel.

I’ve focus-grouped 10,000+ people in my career, visited 50 countries, and interviewed more than a dozen world leaders – but I still realize how little I know. So, every day I try to learn more and do better.

Here's how… #LuntzLifeLessons

60. You will never tire of the pursuit for perfection.

It will give you something to do every minute of every day. #LuntzLifeLessons

61. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”

You’ll learn more and people will enjoy teaching you. #LuntzLifeLessons

62. Active listening is still too passive.

Obsess over the meaning of every word you hear. #LuntzLifeLessons

63. This is specifically for my college students: Stop saying “like” in every other sentence.

It’s really annoying. #LuntzLifeLessons

64. Wisdom is like money.
The more you get, the more you realize how much more is out there.

The key difference: They can take away your money, but they can’t take away your wisdom. #LuntzLifeLessons

65. No one is perfect.

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  You’ll regret it later. #LuntzLifeLessons

I've been able to redefine the language of politics + business due to one simple philosophy: “It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.”

Communication should focus on the recipient, not the speaker. You’ll learn a lot by watching their immediate reaction. #LuntzLifeLessons

66. It’s not what you say that matters. It’s what they hear.

Don’t blame others for being misunderstood. Take responsibility for your words. Own them. #LuntzLifeLessons

67. Make. Every. Word. Count.

Don’t use 15 words when a dozen will do.

If you demonstrate that you care that much when you speak, people will listen more closely. #LuntzLifeLessons

68. If you’re the last email on an email chain, whatever you just wrote wasn’t important.

You will be more impactful if you reply less. #LuntzLifeLessons

69. Seriously, don’t “reply all” unless you really want to annoy people who you’ve never met.

#LuntzLifeLessons

70. If you speak more than anyone else, you are speaking too much.

If you speak less than anyone, you will be forgotten. #LuntzLifeLessons

71. Whether it be facts or jokes, speak in 3’s.

One example is random.
Two is a trend.
Three is proof of whatever you’re saying. #LuntzLifeLessons

72. Now that you’ve read all of my #LuntzLifeLessons, I have just one more:

Who the hell am I to give life lessons?! Figure it out on your own!