What Rules Do You Live By?

Most, if not all, people have rules.

And rules come in two forms - those set by people of higher authority, and those set by yourself.

We set our own rules to make our lives better, or at least that's what most of us would like to think.

Some rules are based on self-improvement:

• Waking up early to exercise, to get more things done. Good start to the day = good day. 
• Drinking two glasses of water first thing you wake up in the morning, before brushing your teeth. Very important that you re-absorb all the essence released in your saliva while you were asleep.
• Never having supper. Not even when you have awesome friends who constantly tempt you to eat. 
• Not sweating the small stuff. Keeps you sane and not worry over the slightest of issues.
• Revealing your mahjong tiles to other players once you're "hearing'. Drastically improves your chances of winning the game as your opponents stare on in disbelief.
  
  

  

  Your opponents are maxed out instantly

  
  

  
  

While others are based on fear:

• Never expressing your liking for someone because you're afraid that it's one-sided. Doing so will make you look stupid because... erm... you have too much love? So you wait. And hint. And wait some more. And maybe pray a lil.
• Tugging your underpants and bouncing the tennis ball for up to a minute before you serve. This "sharpens your senses"before you go into battle.
  
  

  

  Sexy

  
  
• Never eating durians with beer. This will cause death, or at least that's what I was told happen to Bruce Lee. 
• Always waiting for your car engine to warm up before you drive off, otherwise it will turn into a bear and eat your dog. Or the cold engine will cause the car to explode. And not switching on your aircon during this time too. Even if it's an insane 35 degrees Celsius and you have a friend sweating profusely in the car. (Ian, I'm glad you've changed)

Anyway, I wrote this because I wanted to share some good points I gathered from this article,
http://www.earlytorise.com/12-rules/. Usually I would share it on Facebook, but erm.. yeah.

Here's an excerpt:

1. I create a to-do list at the end of every workday and I follow that to-do list starting first thing the next morning. I also perform my daily readings at the end of every workday, and I write in a gratitude journal. I am thankful everyday for identifying my mission and what I wanted to do with my life at such a young age.
2. I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation. However, if someone simply doesn’t like something I have done or something that I do or disagrees with me, that is fine, but I’m not going to get into an argument about it. For any confrontation-like situation, I simply take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals.
3. I am guided by these two phrases:
   a) “Nothing matters.” – By this, I mean that arguing on the internet changes nothing…I can only work towards the major, massive goals that I have set for my life…that I have a vision of helping others, and there is no time to let petty arguments stand in the way.
   b) “It will all be over soon.” – This servers me in both good times and in bad.
   In hard times, such as bad days, troubled times, or intense physical effort or discomfort, I know that it will all be over soon. A small amount of suffering now will be forgotten later when I will enjoy the rewards of my work. And in good times, I will remember that life is short, and I must make things count now, and no matter how good things are going I must never let myself become soft and lazy,because I have too much to accomplish in such a short time.

4. Everything that happens to me – good and bad – is my personal responsibility. I blame no one but myself. These are the choices I’ve made – this is the life I’m living. I will accept the consequences of my actions.
5. I will not stop until I have helped 1 Million men and women transformed their lives – physically, financially, or emotionally.
6. I will not be the person I don’t want to be. I will not be petty, jealous, or envious, or give in to any other of those lazy emotions. I will not gossip or speak badly of others, no matter who I am with or what environment I am in. I will not be negative when it is easier to be positive. I will not hurt others when it is possible to help. I will know the temptations, situations and environments in life that I must avoid, and I will, in fact, avoid them, even if it means loosening relationships with others who “live” in those environments. It’s my life and that matters more than what other people think of me.
7. “I will always keep the child within me alive.” – Frank McKinney. I will laugh everyday. That’s not hard when you have the friends – and dog – that I have. And if they don’t make me laugh, there’s plenty of comedy on Netflix.
8. “I will write with honesty and feeling.” – Ted Nicholas. I’ve long since giving up caring about how others choose to judge me. What matters more than other’s opinions is the number of people that I can help by sharing advice and encouragement in my writing. The most powerful songs are written by songwriters who bare their souls. So screw it, let’s do it. Let’s put it all out there. I’m not going to help as many people as I could if I keep the “real info” to myself. I also understand now, better than ever, that sometimes you have to “write to repel” in order to strongly attract the readers you desire.

So... what are your rules?