4 Rules of Life

There seem to be four rules of life that are immutable and here they are:

Rule #1 – Responsibility is on us. Too often our society looks to blame others for its plight. It is this person’s fault or that organizations fault. When it comes to our lives, after a certain age it is up to us. It is up to us to develop the skills and master the disciplines necessary to achieve our goals and aspirations. If you aren’t where you want to be in life, don’t blame anyone or anything other than yourself. Accepting responsibility is the first step to progress toward your goals if you have not made reasonable progress to date. Our lives are our responsibility.

Rule #2 – We won’t get out of this life alive. The clock begins to tick for us the day we were conceived and our expiration is inevitable. Too often we live as though we will live forever and put off pursuit of something meaningful to us. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. said, “Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it time runs out.” Stop messing around and make a plan for your better future to avoid the fate of so many that have come before us. They got by but never got ahead.

Rule #3 – Failure and suffering are inevitable. We play it safe to avoid failure. We will fail if we try and if we choose not to try we choose not to live. Suffering will occur through our own issues or the issues of loved ones and people we care about. It is a part of life that sucks but no person is exempt. Rich or poor suffering will find all but how accept and manage it will determine our satisfaction with life. Acceptance is a key strategy for managing failure and suffering. We don’t have to like it but will need to deal with it. If you are still suffering from issues of the past is it likely you did not accept and address them. I am not being flippant in my comments because studies have proven that dealing with issues and accepting them is the best strategy for advancing a person’s satisfaction with life.

Rule #4 – There is an incredibly strong force constantly applying pressure on all of us. This force is subtle and unseen. It is like the tractor beam from the Death Star on Star Wars. Most of us are completely unaware that we are trapped in its web. This force is fear. There are two parts to this fear. Our own fear that is manifested from within and often without cause. Part two is the fear of society. Our fear is most often “what if” I fail and society’s fear is “if you succeed what does that say about me”. Fear is procrastination, fear is resistance, fear is always playing it safe, fear is putting the head in the sand.