DISQUS

I'd add another – get projects done on time. There's a very simple way to do this. If you're handed a project you're sure you can get done in three days, give them a completion date five days from now. If something comes up and it takes you four days, you've still exceeded expectations. If you can get it done in three you'll be a superhero.

Considering the results of following "expert" advice, the fact that you aren't an expert is a mark in your favor.

Good ideas, Chris, but lets not forget the root cause of this mess. The feds have been hounding banks to hand out mortgages to unqualified lenders. This is not to say the banks are blameless – they took this requirement and ran with it, making the problem much worse than it should have been. But we need to get rid of those requirements, and let banks get back to sound lending practices, or this will never end.

The government will not allow the FDIC to fail. They routinely appropriate billions of dollars for all kinds of things, and would not allow a situation that would cause a run on the banks.

Another reason grammar is important - people judge you by it. Bad grammar makes you sound stupid.

For instance, imagine meeting someone you'd like to impress, and the subject turns to concerts. They mention a band and you reply "Yeah, they're great. I seen them last year." You've just identified yourself as an uncultured hick. You may not actually *be* an uncultured hick, but you sound like one. That's the first impression you're leaving.