Examine your True Rules

I’m reading this book right now from Gretchen Rubin called The Happiness Project.  In this book Gretchen decides to try to be happy for a year. She puts together a plan with goals for each month and works her way through each one. As she does she discovers how easy, at times, being happy really is.  

The book goes into great detail about her goals and how she attempts to achieve them. Along the way she discovers that some goals aren’t worth keeping up, while others changed her life. 

Towards October in the book (the book is broken into months) she discusses what she calls “True Rules.” Basically mental “rules of thumb”. These are your everyday rules you use to solve problems or to comment away things.  She also says that while we hold them as true they may not be true and may be holding us back from seeing the real truth. We so completely believe our true rule that we don’t pause to consider their validity. 

Now, true rules aren’t always wrong. That’s not her point. Her point is stopping to consider if they are true or that you’ve just deemed it so. And should you continue to live your life by following them.  

She lists a few true rules as well as some from her friends.  I found many of them were also on my list as well. It took me a couple of days to come up with my list, and I find, even today, that I’ll spout something off and think, ”That’s a true rule of mine.”

1.     What would my mother do?

2.     Always smile and say hello.

3.     Change is challenging and good.

4.     Always plan then execute.

5.     Plans don't always work out. Be flexible.

6.     Choose the bigger life.

7.     Things have a way of turning out for the best.

8.     Get some exercise every day. (This is obviously a new one for me.)

9.     I know as much as most people.

10.  Listen first, then comment.

 What are your true rules?