Doug DavidoffI was cleaning my office this past weekend and came across these rules. I felt they were worth sharing. I forget who gave them to me. Whoever it was, thank you.
Thirteen rules for life - Thirteen New Rules for Living By Frederic M. Hudson, Ph.D. and Pamela McLean, Ph.D.
1. No one owes you anything - not the government, your employer, your family, although the world around you is less and less definite and predictable, it is no less valuable and mysterious. To rejoice in living, you must invent your own future, entrepreneur your life, and expect surprises.
2. Global change is the major force in your life, and in the lives of everyone on earth. We are all in training for a new era for all humanity. Don’t whine about it. Take advantage of the expanding possibilities now available to you in our world of constant flow.
3. You have no ultimate safety, security or guarantees, so don’t expect any. What you have are endless opportunities to rearrange your priorities for work, play, and life. Choose wisely, and expect more choices to follow.
4. Your life is an adventure, a journey through time. There are no lasting arrival points and no lasting endings. Learn how to say “hello” and “goodbye” with grace and style. Everything is flow–you just keep moving. Prepare now for the long haul of ninety years or more. But live in the present, day by day.
5. Know how to recycle yourself. Live each chapter of your life fully, then invest in a transition and begin the next chapter. Weave, unravel, and reweave your life, over and over. No matter what your age or situation, design your future as your manifest destiny.
6. You are your career, a portfolio of ever-changing talents, skills and preferences. Design your own work, over and over again, connected to the futures you prefer.
7. Refuse to be defined and consumed by your career/work. It’s an important part of the whole journey, but it’s not the journey itself. Your deepest agenda is your soul’s work, your holistic callings to create success and caring in all the parts of your life.
8. There are two prerequisites for taking this journey through life: Continuous care for your body and your finances. You don’t have to be perfectly fit or wealthy to have a great life, but you need a body that supports your dreams, and funding to make your dreams happen. Master nutrition, exercise, and financial planning.
9. The best way to guide your life through infinite change is to follow your own values and vision. Like a rudder, your values will keep you on a course your integrity prefers. Like a sail, your vision will pull you ahead into legitimate expectations.
10. Your best future happens when you have the courage to be: reach, learn, risk, dare, leap. Embrace the unknown ahead. Live on the outer edge of your possibilities, not on the inner edge of your security. Be active, not passive.
11. Here is how to conduct your journey: Have a long-term purpose with short-term goals. Be definite and flexible. Trust the ocean but stay in charge of your boat. Ride the waves.
12. Everyone on earth is linked to the same destiny. We share the same air, water, food, and capacities for total destruction. We are in each other’s hands, one for all and all for one.
13. Learn how to grow older and better. Achieve mastery as a human being– model wholeness, wisdom, and caring. Be grateful. Leave a legacy that makes a difference.
Until next time, Doug
Let me know the rules you live by. Just e-mail me.