Good advice is hard to come by, which is probably why good advice is so valuable. That fact, however, doesn’t stop people from giving out advice. People just keep throwing it out there hoping at some point to come up with something that is actually helpful. As a result, we have timeless advice tips such as:

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. This one works great on paper, but as a parent of four I can tell you that my kids don’t carry out their conversations on paper.

Don’t cry over spilled milk. That is good too unless you just spilled the last of the milk after dominating a pack of Oreos.

If you have to borrow money, borrow it from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back. Ok, so it’s hard to find anything wrong with this one.

You will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Yeah, but I don’t want to catch flies. And if for some reason that changes, I might go all Karate Kid and use chopsticks.

Rub some dirt on it AND Walk it off . Yes, there is no shortage of medical advice out there based on a tremendous lack of medical knowledge.

Eat it…Don’t tweet it. Finally, some contemporary and relevant advice. We don’t want to see your food on the instagram. Ever.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I think that one is pretty self-explanatory.

Don’t argue with an idiot. He will just drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. That one goes under the category of advice for time management.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself. I’m taping that one to my son’s steering wheel when he starts driving.

The iGo Summer of training and mobilizing officially began Monday when Jimmy (our summer mobilization interns) arrived at our World Wide Headquarters. This is our 14th summer of training and mobilizing at iGo, and it’s our 13th summer to have interns.

With all that history, you would think that we know exactly what to say to Jimmy as they get started. In reality though, we never know what each group needs to hear. There is so much we could say, but we want to know what we should say. Our best attempt at advice for Jimmy is found below.

1. iGo Jokes are not dead horses, but you still can’t beat them. Yes, beating a dead horse is pointless… for obvious reasons. But iGo jokes live on long after what would seem to be a normal joke life span. I met Yu in Japan back in 2001, and I still love telling the story how Yu gave me that alien toy (read that one out loud to a friend right now for the full effect). If you find a good joke, especially one that qualifies as an inside joke, run with it. And don’t stop running with it all summer long.

2. Don’t get bit by the hand that feeds you. This one also could be said like this, “Speak softly for Elizabeth carries a big stick.” It is helpful to remember that Elizabeth cuts the paychecks. She also cuts the reimbursement checks and doles out the weekly lunch allowances. You want her on your side! You need her on your side! And that requires staying on her good side. Good luck with that one. Many have tried. Some have almost not failed.

3. A good name is more to be desired than great fame.  As names go, Jimmy is good, but also quite common. As you try on your new moniker, it will require squeezing into some obscurity. There isn’t much notoriety that comes from rolling up T-shirts, loading the iGo trailer, stuffing envelopes, or sorting linens after Base Camp. However, God is pleased with faithfulness and service. After all, the mantra of iGo is to make Him famous. Jimmy does this in so many ways.

Dozens of students have served as iGo Jimmy in the past? What advice would you share with the 2014 edition? Maybe you haven’t been a Jimmy, but you have experienced their work and have advice of your own to share? Hit the comment button and give Jimmy some advice. We are waiting on you.