My 12 Rules for Life

The 12 Rules for life by Jordan Peterson did resonate with me and has become quite a huge success. It made me come up with my own rules for life. Here are the 12 rules I came up with.
Develop a high appreciation for life – What you appreciate does appreciate more. Only if you develop a deep appreciation for your life will you feel happy and peaceful. You will understand that there is a deeper meaning for your existence. Love your life for what it is and it is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to bring our talents to light.
Appreciate your uniqueness – The fact is even identical twins are not same. This means we are all unique and I can’t be anyone else other than me. Even if I try to be someone else I will only be a poor imitation. So, appreciating the value of our uniqueness is a great starting point to enjoying life more. We are all in the game of life and each of us has a role to play. As they say the jungle is neutral and none of us are insignificant compared to each other no matter what our social status is. 
Uncertainty is the only certainty – The 21st Century demands resilience and navigating through uncertainty. Flexibility is the name of the game and being nimble will ensure you thrive in your career as well. There is another quote I like which is “If you don’t like change you are going to like irrelevance even less.” Eric Shinseki
Never give up –  No matter how rough it gets or how tough it gets we don’t need to quit. Life offers no guarantees and every one of us will have setbacks. However, the true champions never give up and they do stay on a little longer. I don’t mean that you should never stop doing something if it is not working. What I mean here is never give up on you as a person and always stay in the game of life. 
There is always another chance in life – Our lives will be determined by the quality of decisions we make and luck. Annie Duke's book Thinking in Bets is a good one on this topic. Sometimes our decisions can be wrong but that doesn’t mean it is the end of the road for us. Reading biographies of people who have overcome enormous setbacks can also help. We should remember that there is never an end unless we think it is. Thinking in Bets is a wonderful book on decision making and luck.
Your net worth doesn’t determine your worth – We are all born as valuable and despite whatever situation we are in the value of our being remains intact. It is so easy to compare ourselves unfavorably to people who are more well off financially and feel inadequate. However, the truth is all of us are valuable and let’s not allow our financial worth determine our overall worth.
Build financial security – Despite the earlier point I still believe having a financial plan is important to live a more peaceful life. Money is important but it is only greed that is bad. If we are earning money in the service of others it is well earned and an important part of our overall well-being. Pay yourself first is the ultimate bottom line in financial health.
Listen to your inner voice – We all have an inner voice which guides us as we navigate through life. It is better not to ignore that inner voice. The inner voice usually tells us what is right for us and it would make sense to follow that voice most of the time. Staying true to yourself is the key to the kingdom of happiness.
Every day is the best day of your life – This is my philosophy and while it is good to have long term plans none of us truly knows if we get another day. So, make the most of every day and enjoy it for what it is. We are all going to have rough days but this philosophy restores us back to gratitude. Being grateful for every day promotes happiness and reduces stress.
Health is wealth– We all have different pathways with regards to health. Not all of us can run marathons and we don’t need to. Since each of our situations is unique there is no standard for good health. However, it is imperative to determine a plan that works for your situation. If we do take care of our health then we do feel better about our lives and enjoy it more.
Learn like there is no tomorrow – Life-long learning is the requirement to thrive in life. With the explosion in data, technology and competition it is imperative we are on the cutting edge of our lives by populating it with the best information. Reading books, listening to podcasts, reading blogs and listening to Ted Talks are all great ways to stay inspired and well-informed at the same time. As someone said if you think education is expensive try ignorance. Most of the information is available for free or at a low cost so we can all learn at our convenience. Reading has also been shown as one of the keys to a longer life span.
Find your cause – To really get excited about your life it is imperative to find a cause that you are committed to. For each person this is different. For me I defined it as maximizing my potential and helping others maximize theirs. This I did back in 2010 and have been reading, learning and writing to ensure I stick to this. Defining a personal mission statement can make your days energized and filled with joy.
There you have it the 12 rules of life. Hope you enjoyed reading this and I am sure everyone can come up their rules which can work for them.
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my organization. Thanks for reading this post.

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