A FATHER'S RULE FOR FINDING FULFILLMENT

1. Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.

2. Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.

3. Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilty or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.

4. Show humility. Stand your ground and pause to reflection what the others are saying, and back off if you know that you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens if you are pig-headed.

5. Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you're doing something wrong.

6. Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.

7. Hold fire! if someone crosses you, don't react immediately. Once you say something it cannot be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.

8. Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught hold your hands up.

9. Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than you: It's easy and also rewarding.

10. Always look on the up-side! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.

11. Make it your instinct always to say 'yes'. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say 'no'. Your friends will cherish you for that.

12. Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you to be there. Show them courtesy and respect.

13. Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be KING.

14. Never ever let a friend down. I will do 'ANYTHING' for my friends. This is why I have chosen them carefully.

15. Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward bad service. Poor service is insulting.

16. Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you show due respect, but be not a sycophant.

17. Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.

18. Be prepared to put the interest of your siblings first.

19. Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel you will learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don't be too big for your breeches.

20. Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.

21. Live everyday to it full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.

22. Give of your best at school or work some teachers and employers forget to give incentives. If your teacher or employer doesn't give you one, devise your own.

23. Look after your body and it will look after you.

24. Learn never to give up. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

25. Always pay the most you can afford. You get what you pay for.

26. Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don't do it for so long. Crying doesn't make things better.

27. Learn as many languages as you can. This goes a great way in helping you in strange lands.

28. Finally love and cherish your mother, and take good care of her.