Ashley Volpenhein         

Cronin

Honors English 1B

5/2/2014

How to Be a Quality Human Being

In the style of Benjamin Franklin

1.       Respect other’s interests. Even if they seem weird at first, understand that yours might too.

2.       Always be polite, hold doors and say please and thank you.

3.       Respect you elders. Seriously, you owe your life to them. If it weren’t for them who knows where you’d be.

4.       Offer favors to those even if they may not deserve them.

5.       Treat others with the same amount of respect you expect from them.

6.       Don’t ever have double standards. Follow the same rules as the person next to you.

7.       Love your partner with every ounce that you have, and show just how much that is every single day.

8.       Don’t refuse help from those who know more than you do.

9.       Give people you don’t know a smile. You never know how much it could brighten their day.

10.   Donate to charities. Remember how fortunate you are and help make the world a better place to live in for everyone.

11.   Recycle. Show the Earth your care for it!

12.   Never abandon a friend in need. A fair weather friend is really no friend at all, so be there for them when they need you the most.

13.   Don’t talk back to your parents. They know what is really best for you and in the end, they’ll never guide you in the wrong direction.

14.   Take school seriously because it’s the key to your future. If you don’t study hard growing up, you could be the bum on the side of the street.

15.   Speaking of bums, always take the time to spare a little change. Their homelessness may be their own fault, but then again, you don’t know the struggle they’ve gone through in their lives.

16.   Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re wrong. It’s okay to make mistakes, we’re only human.

17.   Going off of that, remember that others are only humans as well. If somebody slips up, understand that it happens to everyone at one point or another.

18.   Control your anger. Nothing is worth getting angry over especially little things.

19.   Don’t hover over those who have hurt you. They do not deserve you, so why ever let them slip into your mind.

20.   Be confident in your ventures. A confident person is a respected one as well.

21.   Show not only others love, but yourself too. Go out of your way to make yourself happy.

22.   Give advice to other’s going through the same situations you’ve struggled through as well. Your help will go a long way.

23.   Get a lot of sleep. A well-rested person is proven to be more focused and happier in life than someone who stayed up too late watching TV.

24.   Try your best to never procrastinate. You will ultimately disappoint yourself and others. It will also add an immense amount of unneeded stress into your life.

25.   Lastly, be the best version of yourself that you can be.