25 Rules for Life

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I found this list of 25 Rules for Life profoundly inspiring and after a few tweaks,
I decided to share it with you today.
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1. When everyone else throws in the towel, find a way. Always find a way. That will put you in the minority. The successful minority. Be creative, be tenacious, be diligent, and do what most won't.

2. Finish what you start. Many of us are great at starting, crappy at finishing. Doesn't matter how smart you are or how much potential / talent you have if you only ever half-do stuff. Success is less about talent and potential, and more about commitment.

3. Make the tough decisions. Most people would rather someone or something else make the tough decision for them. The biggest determinant of what our life will look like is the decisions we make (and don't make!). It ain't fate, chance, or luck - it's all you.

4. Don't b.s. yourself. Be honest. You're an idiot at times. And a baby. You know it. We all are. This admission is not to be confused with senselessly beating yourself up, no, this is about honest self-assessment and a level of self-awareness that most people will never have. Your biggest challenge will always be you. Maximize your strengths and develop your weaknesses.

5. Nurture and develop the spiritual you. This means different things to different people. It might add that dimension to your life that you've been lacking. After all, you're more than a body and a mind, right?

6. Maximize your potential. Too many people die with their music still in them. The main reason for this is fear. Deal with your fear (and laziness and procrastination) or waste your talent and live a life of compromise.

7. Stop waiting for success to fall on your head. Too many people have a "lotto" mentality; they hope that success will happen to them.  They wait to be discovered or for their big break. Good luck with that. Get off your butt and create your own big break. Look for and create your own opportunities.

8. Hang out with high-achievers and avoid energy vampires. You will inevitably emulate the people with whom you surround yourself.

9. Be in shape physically. This is not about vanity or ego. This is about function and health. This is about maximizing your potential. If you're out of shape physically, it will impact negatively in every area of your life: relationships, career, finances, emotional state, & mindset.

10. Change what you can and don't fret about what you can't. Too many people invest way too much emotional energy in things they can't change and way too little in the things they can and should. And in doing so, all they do is put themselves in a bad place emotionally.

11. Don't be a critic. You've got enough of your own issues and weaknesses to work on. People who constantly criticize others are typically insecure, envious, and resentful.

12. Don't make excuses, make plans. Stop talking and act.

13. Become a master communicator. In terms of "life skills", this is at the top of the list. Consciously and diligently work at becoming the most effective communicator you can be. It impacts every area of our life. Consciously build and nurture great relationships in all areas of your life.

14. Invest into others in a practical way. Be generous with your time, your knowledge, your skills, your money, and your love. The best return on investment has nothing to do with money.

15. Be completely responsible and accountable for where you are, who you are, and what you are. Even if you have a reason to blame - don't. It serves no purpose.

16. Control your emotions, especially anger and fear. When we act out of fear and/or anger we hurt others and ourselves.

17. Trust and respect those who have earned it. This doesn't mean be paranoid and fearful of those you don't know well, it means what it says. Automatically trusting and respecting people is a recipe for disaster.

18. Don't base your expectations for your future on your past. Too many people are hostages to their crappy past, so they simply create a crappy future. That's what they expect. Our history is not necessarily any indication of what our future could be.

19. Expose yourself to different ideas, cultures, places, environments, and people. Often. It's crucial for your development. Too many people live in their safe, little box for eighty years and then they die. Sad.

20. Get uncomfortable on a regular basis. Take risks. Physically, emotionally, psychologically and professionally. It's how we grow, learn, adapt, change, improve. "Safe" is boring and unrewarding.

21. Laugh loud and often. If you're not having fun, if you're not happy, try plan B. Too many long faces these days.

22. Get clarity and certainty about what you want and don't want in your life. And then start building it. Stop waiting for some cosmic sign, start thinking for yourself and creating some momentum. Stop letting others tell you what to do with your life.

23. Don't spend your life waiting for the "right time." It's a myth. If you're breathing, it's the right time. This doesn't mean be irresponsible or stupid, it means don't waste years waiting for the planets to align perfectly. The "right time" excuse is merely a form of procrastination.

24. Find the good. Consider every day an opportunity to live, laugh, learn, and love. While many walk around with the world on their shoulders, choose to be different. Choose to be the exception. Choose fun. Choose to find the lesson. Choose happiness. Choose to be that person.

25. Humility. Live and communicate with drive, passion, and humility. Arrogance and ego are ugly and destructive. Humility - not to be confused with weakness.

until next time,

g