12 Rules For Life

Try to follow the “12 Rules for Life” to live a more fulfilled human experience:

• Rule 1: Good posture is a winner. Science shows that the release of happy hormones is higher for winners than losers. This leads to a whole host of benefits.
• Rule 2: Care for yourself like you do care for your most beloved others. You tend to punish yourself too much. Do what’s best for you, as well as what makes you happy. To do this, identify your goals first.
• Rule 3: Surround yourself with positivity. Negativity spreads, so choose your friends wisely.
• Rule 4: Stop comparing yourself to others. Being overly self-critical leads to black-and-white thinking and losing sight of the big picture. Compare yourself only to yourself.
• Rule 5: When parenting, be responsible and likeable, not just a friend. Limit the rules, use the minimum force necessary, and listen to your kids.
• Rule 6: Take responsibility, stop judging. Seeing the world negatively makes you justify bad behavior.
• Rule 7: Set meaningful goals, instead of instant gratification. Make sacrifices, and stick with your goal.
• Rule 8: Always speak the truth. Create achievable goals, otherwise you will become your own worst enemy.
• Rule 9: There’s always something to learn. Listen. Summarize what someone has said to you.
• Rule 10: In language, precision is vital. It helps to communication and fosters relationships.
• Rule 11: Do not set goals that suppress others’ positive qualities.
• Rule 12: Appreciate the small joys. By being grateful for every little positivity, you start seeing the good in everything.

What are the key takeaways from 12 Rules For Life?

Always keep your head up high & and never look down

Did you know that your position in a hierarchy (a pecking order) can affect your posture? Hierarchies occur throughout the animal kingdom and research has shown that those at the top and bottom of the hierarchy have different chemical balances in their brains – those at the top have a higher ratio of serotonin (the happiness hormone) to octopamine. This chemical difference means that those at the top of the pecking order are more agile and have a more upright position making them more intimidating whilst those at the bottom of the pecking order are less likely to enter competitive situations against those above them which reinforces their inactivity in a continued cycle of low self-esteem and depression.

The only competition you have is with ourselves & who you were in the past

Self-criticism is necessary because it motivates you to strive to be better. Your brains are wired to see the present many times as deficient and the future as more promising, so this mindset ensures that you always take action and push forward for a higher goal. The problem with self-criticism comes when you start comparing yourself to other people as you can quickly lose sight of your own progress only seeing the bigger black and white picture of success or failure rather than the small steps we’ve taken to get where we want to be. Comparing yourself to others also leads to zeroing in on one aspect such as how you did at work over the past year rather than looking at the wider picture of self-improvement and family life.

Choose long-term growth over short-term gratification

The best example to explain this principle is that story of a monkey who got his hand caught because he wouldn’t let go of the food/salt in his hand? The key takeaway of this story is that there is a karmic energy to be paid for selfishness and we should never forget that we often follow simple and plain fun and comfort even if we know that it will work against us in the end. It is simple to rationalize a quick fix, sweet pleasure or simple amusement (if it makes me feel good, it must be good ) rather than a sacrifice (if I change my diet and exercise ,I will become more healthy). In order to live the best life possible, you have to learn that if you want an amazing life in the future, you have to be prepared to offer a big sacrifice today,

Conversation Is Not Competition

Socrates was a special person, because he was able to be open to learning new things, so that he passed away with the sentence the only thing he achieved knowing in his long and amazing life, was that he knew nothing in the end. This is a fantastic lesson, coming from such a great philosopher by applying true and honest conversation as a powerful method to think and learn! Today, in the age of social media, most people´s conversations have deteriorated to such an extent that they don’t happen like this anymore. In most cases, one or both interlocutors go into defence mode and reject to listen, thinking that the conversation is a competition that they need to dominate or to convince the other person that their opinion is right. What you can learn from Socrates is to start the conversation always thinking, that your interlocutor has something interesting to say, that there is something you can learn from every person. The goal in any conversation should be to stay objective, control yourself and stop interrupting people, but instead you should focus and concentrate and listen! After your interlocutor finished talking, try to summarize his or her words and make sure to check if you have really understood everything that was communicated previously.