Bunny's Daddy

If you are looking to improve your life and become more self-aware, then let these 30 thought-provoking questions guide you to see how you respond to certain life situations, so that you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, and make positive  changes accordingly. 

Become the person you want to be and use these 7 tips to become a more well put-together person. While also making your life less chaotic and easier on you.

S&S Shovel

50 ways successful people live on their own terms - Part II

It is important to remember that, while many gentlemen smoke cigars, not all cigar smokers are gentlemen. The mark of a true gentleman is his ability to smoothly navigate any social situation. To do this, a gentleman must familiarize himself with etiquette—including the etiquette that governs the smoking of cigars. Here is a list of ten rules that gentlemen always abide by while preparing, smoking or extinguishing a cigar.

1) A Gentleman Always Asks Permission—

Always ask permission from those around you before lighting a cigar. It’s important to remember that not everyone derives as much enjoyment from cigars as you do. Some people have respiratory problems that make it difficult for them to be around second-hand smoke. Others simply can’t abide the smell.

Whatever the particulars of the situation, you have a social obligation as a gentleman to do what you can to ensure the comfort of those around you. If you ask to smoke a cigar and the answer is no, do not badger or demand explanations from the person who refused you—it negates the original purpose of asking.

2) A Gentleman Always Brings Enough to Share—

Cigars are like tires: you should always have a spare. You can’t enjoy something as good as a cigar in public without being reasonably sure that someone else is going to ask you for one, and there’s absolutely nothing worse than a stingy cigar-smoker. You don’t need to be passing out $50 Royal Salomones at parties, but you do need to make sure you come prepared demonstrate your generosity when the occasion calls for it.

The sharing of cigars should be wordless. You should never beg or hassle someone for a cigar. If you want a cigar that badly, you should be carrying your own. Likewise, when you offer someone a cigar, the offer should be made silently—simply hold out an open cigar case and let the person decide for themselves whether or not they want one.

3) A Gentleman Never Lights Another Gentleman’s Cigar—

This is a basic rule that must be followed whenever you’re preparing to smoke a cigar. People who have never smoked a cigar before often operate under the mistaken assumption that it is polite to light another person’s cigar for them. This is an understandable and easily-forgivable mistake, but it’s still a mistake. If you light another person’s stogie, you run the risk of ruining the flavor by accidently forcing them to draw too hard on their cigar.

4) A Gentleman Knows When to Remove His Band—

The debate over whether or not a person should remove the band from the cigar they’re smoking is as old as it is laborious. There are strong arguments on both sides.

Some people consider it acceptable to remove the band from your cigar when you’re halfway finished with it. The rationale behind this position is that the heat from the cigar warms the glue of the band, making it easier to remove without destroying your cigar. Others consider leaving the band on a form of bragging; a way of drawing attention to the price and quality of the cigar you are smoking.

There is no universal rule governing cigar bands. The best way to avoid a cigar-smoking faux pas is to be aware of your surroundings. If the people you’re smoking with removed the bands from their cigars before they started smoking, it might behoove you to do the same. Likewise, if you’re smoking a cigar that is significantly more expensive than the cigars being smoked by those you’re with, you might want to consider removing the band.

5) A Gentleman Knows How to Hold His Cigar—

Don’t hold your cigar between your index finger and your middle finger. A cigar is not a cigarette and it shouldn’t be held like one. A cigar should be held between your thumb and your index finger. Under no circumstances should you use your cigar to gesture or point at another person or at an object in the distance. It’s dangerous and it’s not what your cigars are intended for.

6) A Gentleman Never Chews His Cigar—

Nobody likes a slobbery cigar. Chewing on your cigar moistens the wrapper and increases the likelihood that your cigar will fall apart while you smoke it. It also makes a mess. Bits of tobacco get into your mouth or spill onto the front of your shirt. Lastly, it makes the tobacco damp and heavy, restricting air flow and ruining the flavor of your cigar. If you really need something to chew on, save yourself $6 and invest in a pack of gum.

7) A Gentleman Knows That Smoking a Cigar is a Leisurely Activity—

Never smoke a cigar while walking, driving or working. A good cigar should be a gift you give yourself after a hard day or an unexpected bit of good news. Smoking a cigar should be something you set aside time to do, not something you do when you’re already occupied. There’s no point in smoking a cigar if you’re so distracted by whatever else it is you’re doing that you forget to appreciate the flavor and experience.

8) A Gentleman Takes His Time—

When smoking a cigar, the aspiring gentleman should be careful not to draw on his cigar more than once a minute. If you smoke a cigar too quickly, you could risk overheating your cigar and ruining its flavor. Besides, what’s the rush? If you don’t have time to properly enjoy the cigar you are smoking, then you don’t have time to smoke a cigar. In these situations, it’s usually best to keep your cigar stowed away until you have the time to appreciate it properly.

9) A Gentleman Doesn’t Chain-Smoke Cigars—

Chain-smoking cigars is almost as blasphemous as chewing on them. Cigars are not cheap cigarettes and they should not be treated as such. Many people say that you should wait at least fifteen minutes between cigars. Personally, I think you should wait thirty—especially if the cigar you’re going to smoke is a different brand from the one you just finished. Give your pallet time to cleanse itself so you can get the most out of the next cigar you smoke.

10) A Gentleman Doesn’t Crush Cigars in Ashtrays—

When you smoke a cigar, the tobacco inside the cigar amasses oils and tars that are contained by the cigar wrapper. When you stub your cigar out in an ashtray, it splits the wrapper, which causes your cigar to smolder and release a foul-smelling plume of smoke. If you’re finished smoking your cigar, simply let it go out on its own and discreetly dispose of the stub.