Everybody needs to have a list of rules to live by. If you don't happen to have one, feel free to borrow what you like from mine. I borrowed some, but most are mine. Listing my beliefs changed me. I hope it changes you.
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. When choosing which path to take, pray for direction.
4. Be a daychanger. Make a difference everyday.
5. Learn to live on less than you earn.
6. You are not merely your job.
7. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your
friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
8. Pay off your credit cards every month.
9. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
10. Grieve with others. Send a sympathy card or make a call.
11. Put your change in a jar. It adds up.
12. Chocolate and pets aren’t everyone’s thing, and that’s OK.
13. Reconcile while your enemy is still living.
14. Other people’s success doesn’t reflect your abilities. Relax.
15. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
16. A cleansing breath calms the mind.
17. Hoarding is fear behavior. Share your excess.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. Sixty-five is a great time to start your next great adventure.
20. Determination can accomplish anything. Be tenacious.
21. Splurge on yourself today. Burn the candles, use the
nice pillow cases, wear the fancy lingerie.
22. Over prepare, then relax and take life as it comes.
23. Be zany. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. Plan for the future, live in the moment, learn from the past.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five
years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything. And tell them so.
29. Spend your life developing your talents.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. You “arrive” as you discover your authentic self.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. Pay attention to the grace moments. Thank God for them.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw
everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. Recognize excellence every time you experience it.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Nobody cares if you’re fast. Be thorough.
44.Cast your pebbles so they make a ripple in the pond.
45. Write something every day.
46. Television and internet aren’t real life.
47. Help someone on their journey.
48. Keep your living space clean and organized.
49. Allow time for meditation and prayer.
50. Everyone does the best they can do.
Anything you would add? Let me know what's on your list to live by.
These are all wise Anne. So, so true. I find some much more difficult than others, but they are all beautiful! I need to print this out and put it on my fridge so I can see it every day! Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne, I can see some challenges here for me, but I will try to do my best to put these into practice. Lovely!! Janice.
ReplyDeleteAnne, We're both lost, I guess. I signed up to follow your blog which has no posts yet, and I'm not sure with the new template on mine how you can follow me. I'm going to try to figure it out and let you know.
ReplyDeleteBradd Hopkins adds to the list.
ReplyDeleteLearn something new every day.
Listen. To others, and to yourself.
Think more than one ripple out.
Every act, every belief, every thought has a consequence.
To not decide is to decide.
People will always tell you what you need to know about them.
Timing is everything.
When you understand what you truly need, you know how to get it.
What it's about is NOT what it's about.
All adventures begin with the word "yes!"
You've done a lot of thinking and keeping track. They're all helpful. The only one I questioned is 43. Yes, people do care if you're fast. Especially if you're older than them. If you're younger, they don't want to hear about it. But that's to laugh about and enjoy for me. It just is. Thanks for the list.
ReplyDeleteFunny--that's the only one I hesitated over. I added it as a reminder to myself, the multi-tasking, "finish painting the whole room in one day even if you have to slop through it" painter, that slowing down is a good thing. However--you're right. there is a point where working slow is actually stealing from your employer.
ReplyDeleteAnne, my favorite are:
ReplyDelete25. Plan for the future, live in the moment, learn from the past.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?"
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
I find all of them so true.
Thanks for putting together your list, and have a good time in Oregon.
Sonia.
Anne, I just re-read these, enjoying the heck out of each slice of wisdom and reveling in the echoes from ORDINARY APHRODITE. I've also taken the time to read each of your posts, one of the goals for my day, and was especially touched by your post, Becoming A Daughter. I've shared it on Facebook for your spirited way of discovering food for thought in tough situations is nectar for us all. The favorite rule for me on your list is, Life isn't fair, but it is good. I love the punch of the way that you put this phrase together! My mother and I used to have many conversations relative to this rule. Before Mother-sitting, I worked as a group counselor at an alternative school. The topic, Life Isn't Fair, always engendered two weeks or more of discussion and, for some, resulted in a discovery of a more positive outlook for their lives. Gave me some moments of precious memory!
ReplyDeleteAll true, all worth remembering. Maybe though I'll add two sayings of my mother's: It's not what you like that makes you fat, it's what you get. And if wishes were ponies than beggars would ride.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eunice, Doreen and Sonia for adding to the list. Together, we ladies could rule the world! And what a great world it would be.
ReplyDelete