Principles, Parenting & Purpose

Lessons From A Life Well Lived

November 1, 2020

The obituary for Mr. Bruce Halle sent out by Discount Tires in 2018 quoted him as saying:

“There are really just five simple lessons to life: Be honest, work hard, have fun, be grateful and pay it forward.”

Exactly right! And in exactly the right order!

“Be honest.” If you’re not honest, nothing else in life matters. Yet honesty has a precondition: seeing clearly. Most of us assume we see the world as it is; we don't. Seeing clearly is a discipline of its own—and without it, honesty falters. So I’d extend the lesson: “See clearly. Be honest.”

“Work hard.” This principle once seemed self-evident, but over the decades, I’ve seen a noticeable decline in the ethos of hard work. For Nick, I proposed the tattoo, “Effort yields results. Faith yields life,” as a way to emphasize hard work—or simply “effort”—as a cornerstone of success. Yet, I’ve come to understand that “faith” is a higher-order principle that complements effort. To live well, principles like “hope, trust, and faith” must implicitly guide us. Perhaps the deeper lesson is: “See clearly; learn how to trust; live in faith.” It’s more complex than “work hard,” but it underpins every meaningful effort.

“Have fun!” Brilliantly true! In 1993, this was exactly my conclusion as well! Life and work won’t always be fun, but if you find yourself without joy for weeks on end, it’s time to reconsider your path. Aspiring to have fun and be happy is good, but happiness is fleeting. Accepting this impermanence helps us navigate the difficult times. It’s this reality that transitions us perfectly into Bruce’s fourth principle.

“Be grateful.” Be honest, work hard, have fun, and then, be grateful. Perfect. Gratitude is a shift in perspective that allows us to recognize the good around us. It’s a practice that opens the door to Bruce’s final principle.

“Pay it forward.” Or, more broadly, “be of service to others.” Service reveals the power of love in action. Acts of service are an expression of love—whether through a simple kindness or a lifetime of contribution. Together, these lessons suggest: “Show love to others through acts of service.” The level at which you operate is something only you can determine through your own journey.

I don’t believe that those are the only five lessons to life—Ray Dalio, for instance, built an entire book from his hundreds of Principles. But I agree with Bruce’s spirit of starting simply and letting experience guide you.

With these five lessons in mind, what comes next?

What about love?