Yet Another 12 Rules to Live By…


With so many versions of 12 Rules to Live By published lately, how could I not? Here you go…
  1. Accept in your soul that life is short and live like it. Do not go gentle into that good night.
  2. Life is not fair… never has been, never will be. Know that fact and move on.
  3. Focus on what you can control. Take action on that. Accept and let go of the rest. (By the way, you can’t control what others think or say or do…)
  4. Advocate for yourself. Take care of your health, become educated (however you can do so & libraries are free), look out for what matters to you. And shut down that voice in your head.
  5. Life must have goals. If you don’t push yourself, you don’t grow. Self-esteem comes from achievements.
  6. To live is to fight. (or, in the words of Seneca: vivere militare est) Like it or not, every day is a fight. Even if only against yourself.
  7. You must define success for you. There is always more… most know less.
  8. You are not special. We are all children of God. Every person is your master at something. Get over yourself. As Ryan Holiday put it, Ego is the Enemy.
  9.  Learn to say “no”. Focus on what matters. Reject the pride of busyness. Do less and do it better.
  10. If you die tomorrow, your employer will post your job the next day. Unless, of course, they had a bad quarter & then they won’t even bother with that. Prioritize accordingly…
  11. Just start! Nothing builds confidence like action. A first step, no matter how small, can lead to big things.
  12.  Recognize your blessings and express gratitude. Every single day you are fortunate enough to wake up.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Nido Qubein, a world-renowned speaker and president of High Point University in North Carolina.

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”

Where you start is with yourself. Today.

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