Today's Life Tips
Six simple
rules for life
March 17th, 2012
A five-year old slugger smacks the
baseball out into the field and sprints toward third base.
A tiny midfielder, playing her first
soccer match, reaches down and scoops into her arms the ball rolling through
the green grass toward her.
A small child on the basketball
court receives a pass from a teammate and excitedly races to the hoop … without
remembering to dribble.
If you’ve ever coached a children’s
sports team, then you know the importance of explaining the simple rules of the
game.
Initially, chaos and confusion reign
supreme as children accustomed themselves to unfamiliar regulations. Yet over
time, the once-confusing rules become second nature, and the kids play together
without even having to think about them.
Rules to live by
Playing a sport without knowing the
rules leads to chaos, confusion, and even can result in injury. Likewise, going
through life without a reliable set of rules gives rise to disorder,
dissatisfaction, and even harm.
In this lesson, I’d like to share
six simple rules that have helped me to navigate life. I hope they provide you
with food for thought as you consider, or reevaluate, the rules you live by.
Rule no. 1: Put family first.
Lots of leaders give lip service to
putting family first, but they don’t actually practice giving their spouse or
kids top priority.
What does it mean to put family
first? For me, it involves redefining success. I do not measure my success in terms
of career accomplishments. For me, success is when those closest to me love and
respect me the most. Practically speaking, I make sure to schedule time with
loved ones before setting my work calendar.
It’s far more important for me to
give prime time to my family than to “get ahead” by working overtime.
Rule no. 2: Follow the Golden Rule.
As followers, we universally ask
three questions about our leaders: 1) Do they care for me? 2) Can they help me?
3) Can I trust them?
As a leader, regularly pose those
same questions to yourself—Am I caring? Am I helping? Am I reliable?—as a
reminder to treat others the way you would like to treated.
Rule no. 3: Take care of yourself.
Doing something for yourself is not
a selfish act; it’s a sustaining act.
In a university commencement address
several years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke of the
relation of work to one’s other responsibilities:
Imagine life as a game in which you
are juggling some five balls in the air.
You name them—work, family, health,
friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work
is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four balls—family,
health, friends and spirit are made of glass.
If you drop one of these, they will
be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will
never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your
life.
I’ve learned the importance of this
rule the hard way—through the trauma of a heart attack. If you’re not carving
out time to rest and replenish, to exercise, and to monitor your spiritual
well-being, then eventually you’ll breakdown. When that happens you’re no good
to anyone.
Rule no. 4: Choose a positive
attitude.
Happiness cannot be won, bought, or
brought to you by another person.
Rather, it results from a conscious
choice to be grateful for our blessings and to make the best of life’s
letdowns. Whatever happens to us, we always have control of one thing: our
attitude.
Rule no. 5: Have a personal growth
plan.
The key to personal growth is to
have a beginner’s mindset. Beginners admit they don’t know everything and
proceed accordingly.
As a general rule, they’re open and
humble, noticeably lacking in the rigidity that often accompanies experience
and achievement.
Rule no. 6 Give more than you
receive.
Everyone must ask for help at some
point along the journey of life, but each person also has an inborn need to
serve others.
When I stopped trying to extract
value from the people around me, and instead began searching for ways to add
value, my influence soared.
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