Rules for Life

Wednesday, May 8, 2013
So The Bloggess posted her "Rules for Life" the other day, and like most of the stuff she writes, it was awesome. And more than little weird. Because that's just how she rolls.

But it got me to thinking - we should all have "Rules for Life" as a way to focus our desires for ourselves, and to remind us of the person we aspire to be. Writing them down provides us with a yardstick on which to judge our behavior.

So at the risk of participating in a meme, here are Janiece's Rules for Life. Some of these I shamelessly stole, and some not. Either way, they're mine now, because you can never have too many people who think "Don't be a dick" is a good rule to live by.

1. Don't be a dick.
2. Surround myself with people who are fucking awesome, and think I'm fucking awesome, too. Life's too short to spend time with people who make me feel bad.
3. Identify those limited number of people for whom I'd go to the ends of the earth, and then treat them accordingly. 
4. Take care of my body. I may get sick anyway, but I'll feel better in the meantime. 
5. Do work I care about, or I'll feel like I'm spending half my waking hours on soul-sucking banalities. 
6. Stand up to bullies.
7. Be a good friend to my spouse, my family, my friends.
8. Maintain a level of intellectual honesty in my life. This means accepting facts that are contrary to my opinion, and then changing my mind if it's warranted. 
9. Defend the weak. 
10. Teach the weak how to defend themselves. 
11. Get over myself. I'm not the only competent person in the room. 
12. Read. 
13. Be generous. Every act of generosity makes the world a better place to live, and makes me a better person. 
14. Try to look at the world through someone else's lens. Not everyone's experience is that of a privileged, middle class pasty white girl. And reminding myself of this fact gives me a more accurate perception of reality.
15. Be kind to animals. Note: Humans are animals.
16. Think about how my behavior and my words affect others, whether I like them or not. 
17. Don't give in to fear. That way lies madness.
18. Write thank you notes. On paper. With my hand.
19. Forgive myself, but only if I'm ready and committed to change the behavior requiring forgiveness.
20. Don't be a dick.

6 comments:

Phiala said...

Hm. Mine largely matches yours, but I'll need to think about the variations.

Also, I agree with #1 in sentiment, but really want to find a non-gendered version that's as pithy.

Anne C. said...

<3

Stacey said...

You are fucking awesome. Have I mentioned that lately?

Janiece said...

No, YOU'RE fucking awesome!

John the Scientist said...

Phiala, how about "Don;t be a festering, steaming pile of excrement?". I'm dealing with someone who fits that description right fucking now.

Phiala said...

Evocative, but it lacks a certain punchiness.

I'm sorry that you have this excrement to deal with.