Summary of the Book "Life's Little Instruction Book"

The book Life's Little Instruction Book contains numerous stories and quotes on topics of everyday life, stories that speak about the foundations of a good life, such as generosity, kindness, the importance of treating others with courtesy, and strengthening relationships with others. The book also offers important mental guidance that helps a person live a calm daily life filled with contentment and satisfaction. Below, we present a simple summary of the most important ideas in this book, written by Jackson Brown and Rochelle Pennington.

The book Life's Little Instruction Book contains numerous stories and quotes on topics of everyday life, stories that speak about the foundations of a good life, such as generosity, kindness, the importance of treating others with courtesy, and strengthening relationships with others. The book also offers important mental guidance that helps a person live a calm daily life filled with contentment and satisfaction. Below, we present a simple summary of the most important ideas in this book, written by Jackson Brown and Rochelle Pennington.

Jackson Brown Jr. is a famous American writer known for his excellent writing in the field of human development and awareness. He was born in 1940 in the American city of Tennessee. He worked as a creative director at an advertising agency before his writing career and his wonderful books elevated him beyond that position. His first book was titled Father's Advice, followed by the book Note: I Love You. However, he became widely known thanks to his book Life's Little Instruction Book, published in 1991, which remained a bestseller until 1994. He later presented another masterpiece to the world titled Life's Little Instruction Book, which we will discuss in this article.

The book Life's Little Instruction Book is divided into six basic sections: Kindness, Generosity, Simple Pleasures, Mental Attitude, Marriage, and Parenthood. In each section, the author presents us with a collection of stories and scattered short pieces of advice that can be applied in our daily lives, such as enjoying the small details that pass through our day, which can fill our lives with positivity and happiness—like sunrise and sunset, learning to make some delicious foods, and listening to favorite songs that refresh the mind.

Kindness:

It is a fundamental element of life, and unfortunately, although it is a simple thing, most of us overlook it. You must train and discipline yourself in unconditional kindness due to its great benefits for yourself first and for others' well-being.

• If you know a poor person, send them a $20 bill without revealing your name. (Kindness is the inability to feel at peace around another person who is not at peace, the inability to feel comfortable in the presence of someone who feels distressed, the inability to enjoy peace of mind when a neighbor is burdened with worries).
• Be kinder and more compassionate than necessary. (Three things are important in human life: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind).
• Carry some cheap umbrellas in your car to give to those caught in the rain without cover. (Great opportunities to help others rarely come, but small opportunities surround us every day).
• Be open and available; the next person you meet may become your closest friend. (Treat everyone you meet as if you are receiving a visit from a dear guest).
• Never underestimate the power of a kind word or a generous deed. (It doesn't take much effort to make people happy, just a touch—if we know how to touch—just an appropriate word we say, or a slight adjustment that touches the delicate human spirit).
• Look for the good in people. (I will not speak ill of any person, and I will speak all the good I know about every person).
• When you hear an ambulance siren, pray for the recovery of the person inside. (Prayer accomplishes more things than the whole world can dream of).
• When you pass a family riding in a large tow truck, give them an encouraging signal by raising your thumb. They need all the encouragement possible. (We often think of giving as the tangible gifts we give, but the greatest gift we can give is the gift of our time, our kindness, and even the comfort we give to those who need it. We consider those things unimportant until we need them).
• Never leave a friend to grieve alone. (Friendship increases happiness and alleviates suffering by doubling joy and dividing sorrow).

You might tell yourself that you are naturally a person who is kind to people, and that might be true, but here are some simple practices that might help you:

• Give a tip to the waiter at the café you usually have breakfast at.
• Give polite compliments to three people today.
• Give a loved one a gift that is not expensive, without any occasion.
• Put water on your balcony for the birds.

Generosity:

It is addressed in the book through many wonderful short stories that carry meanings, values, and wisdom in life, enough to make you love the discussed trait, which is generosity. Generosity is not necessarily linked to money; you can be generous in dealings, actions, and even in speech. Generosity is not just a trait; it is a way of life entirely linked to your internal desire to give. You should not impose giving on yourself or feel obligated to do anything, and always remember that what you give will always return to you with greater joy than what you take.

• Choose a charity in your area and support it generously with your time and money. (On the street, I saw a little girl shivering in a light dress, with little hope of getting a good meal. I felt intense anger and said to myself: Why does this happen? Why doesn't someone help her? Then I came to my senses when the answer came to me: And why should I help her?).
• Dedicate a few hours each month to deliver food to the elderly and needy. (A person matures when they feel that their concern for others surpasses their preoccupation with themselves).
• Bless each day of yours with a generous act. (Make a rule and ask God to help you maintain it: If you can, never go to bed at night without being able to say: I have made someone wiser, happier, or at least better off today).
• Donate food to victims of natural disasters. (When a disaster or tragedy strikes in any corner of the world, the people should be ready to extend a helping hand and mercy with generosity and to win. Generosity never causes the giver to become poor; it enriches the lives of those who practice it).
• Donate a liter of blood every year. (Sometimes when I think of the huge results stemming from simple things, I almost imagine that there is nothing simple).

Simple Pleasures:

Unfortunately, social media and television have distorted our view of happiness, satisfaction, and enjoyment in a deep-rooted and rigid way. I cannot simply tell you today to look at the bread on the table and rejoice, or to contemplate your hands and feet and be joyful and praise God.

Yes, you might agree with me that what I mentioned causes joy and is a reason to praise God, but deep down you know that what will give you happiness is getting a lot of money, traveling, luxurious cars, or living in a villa by the sea.

• Plant flowers every spring. (Inhabitants of a planet without flowers might think that the people of Earth are almost flying with happiness all the time because of those flowers around them).
• Learn to make a wonderful spaghetti sauce. (The indispensable ingredient in all good home-cooked food is: love for those you cook for).
• Think big thoughts, but enjoy small pleasures. (Happy is the person who can enjoy small things, simple joys, and ordinary daily events: sunrise over fields, birds singing on branches, a breakfast or dinner meal, or a friend's visit. Many who go far in search of happiness leave that happiness behind them in the closest places and the simplest things at hand).
• Laugh out loud. (Laughter is feeling happiness with your entire being, but primarily manifesting in the facial area).
• Keep a diary. (If your life is worth living, it is worth recording).

Mental Attitude:

There was an old man sitting at the entrance to a city, and a traveler asked him:

• Traveler: How are the people of this city?
  Old Man: How did you find the people in your city?
  Traveler: A corrupt society, people of bad character.
  Old Man: That's how you will find the people in this city.
  Then another traveler came to the same old man and asked him:
  Second Traveler: How are the people of this city?
  Old Man: How did you find the people in your city?
  Second Traveler: A righteous society, people of good character.
  Old Man: That's how you will find the people in this city.

From this story, we conclude that our preconceived notion about things plays an important role in our subsequent opinion about them. Therefore, we must strive to direct our minds positively as much as possible.

• Remember that you can lose many good things in life by adopting a bad mental attitude. (Life is what we make it, has always been, and always will be).
• Be the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. (It is a gift to be able to paint a picture or sculpt a statue, thus making some things look beautiful, but it is much more wonderful to sculpt and paint the atmosphere and environment through which you look, and to influence the quality of the day—this is the highest art of all).
• Forgive quickly. (I learned a great life lesson from my dog and cat... to forget a lot).
• Spend your life elevating people, not belittling them. (Insulting people is a detestable habit, no matter your position).
• Make the most of the best things to the least extent. (Every life has times of loneliness and times of joy, and happiness stems from choosing the times we always remember).
• Remember the three influential resources always available to you: Love, Prayer, and Forgiveness. (At night, I surrender all my affairs to God, for He never sleeps).
• Remember that happiness results from preferring others over yourself. (Why don't you feel happy? Because ninety-nine percent of everything you do, say, and think is for yourself).

Marriage:

The book addressed the topic of marriage in some detail, as this stage is the second after maturity. Unfortunately, many mistakenly link maturity with a specific age, and a person is required to marry just because they got a job, bought their own house, or for other trivial reasons like their peers getting married.

But marriage is something much more and deeper than that. A successful marriage means a happy life, a happy family, and a happy family creates successful children, and successful children create a successful society.

• Choose your life partner carefully; this choice will bring you ninety percent of your happiness or misery. (There is nothing greater for two humans than to feel connected for life, to support each other in all works, to console each other in all sorrows, to help each other in all pains, to unite with each other in silence when recalling memories at the moment of final farewell).
• Marry only whom you love. (Now clasp your hands, and with your hands, clasp your hearts. No one, not even poets, has ever been able to measure what the heart can hold of love).
• Look every day for a simple way to improve your marital relationship. (Give me your hands; you take her hand, and you take his hand, to be joined by a love that grows as you grow old).
• Be romantic. (One of the greatest illusions of our time is that love grows by itself. It is not. Love must be strengthened, nurtured, and constantly renewed. This requires skill and attention, but above all, it requires time).
• Be your wife's best friend. (Two souls harboring the same thought, two hearts beating as one).
• Remember that a woman never tires of hearing those words: I love you, I appreciate you, how fortunate I am to have found you. (Love is part of a man's life, but it is a woman's whole life).

Parenthood:

After forming a kind, generous, and positive personality, maturing, marrying, and succeeding in all that came before, comes the important stage in your life when you are blessed with children. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the responsibility of bringing a new soul into this world. Some want children only for boasting, while others think of them as supporters when they lose their health.

• Remember that your child's character is like good soup; both are made at home. (If we want our children to be generous, responsible, kind, and honest, we must teach them those qualities, not just wish for them).
• Be attentive to opportunities that arise to offer praise and appreciation to your children. (A child feeds on milk and praise).
• Set your priorities correctly, for no one has ever said on their deathbed: I wish I had spent more time at work. (It is hard to know what is important in this world. Most of us care about gaining recognition, honor, and money, but at that point in mid-life, I began to see that the things truly important in life do not happen in corporate meeting rooms, but in the kitchens of homes).
• Don't worry about not being able to give your children the best of everything; just give them the best you can. (We never knew how poor we were; we were rich as a family).
• Remember that any time you spend with your children is never wasted time. (The best moments you live are those you spend with your family).
• Show your family members every day how much you love them through your words, your touches, and your care. (Money cannot buy any need of the soul).
• Teach your children faith in God. (Children are a gift from God to parents, and they must guide them on the path leading to God).
• Avoid sarcasm in conversations with your children. (The jacket that a child tears is quickly mended, but harsh punitive words crush the heart).
• Praise your children's efforts as you praise their successes. (People need praise when they try and fail more than when they try and succeed).
• Be your child's best teacher and coach. (One father is worth more than a hundred schoolteachers).