Living Life by Design

I am not a fan of rules.  I am surprised I am doing a blog entry on “life’s rules”, but I recently listened to a podcast that has me pondering My Life’s Rules.

One cannot participate in this mysterious act of living with any hope of satisfaction unless one understands a few simple rules.   – Og Mandino

John Maxwell, one of the people I ‘follow’, recently did a lesson on his Seven Simple Rules for Life. The subtitle of the lesson was Life is Simpler When We Know What is Essential. It’s the subtitle that got me. What is essential in my life?

After pondering this for several weeks, I share with you my Seven Simple Rules for Life.  These are things that I realize determine

• the choices I make
• the activities I participate in
• how I spend my time
• how I interact with others, etc.

I share this list with the hope it will stir up within you the desire to ponder, to explore, to write down your Simple Rules for Life.

1) Follow God.
I think we are all on this earth for a divine purpose. A Divine Being created us and there is a divine path for each of us. In my journey, I talk with God and listen to God continuously – at least that’s my goal. I do this by being quiet, by being in nature, by sharing ‘coffee’ with close friends, by listening to what’s going on inside me,

2) Respect others.
Respecting others is respecting their time and respecting where they are at on their life journey. It means being on time when I tell someone I will meet them at such and such a time. It means not expecting from them what they cannot give. It means following through with them when I tell them I will do something. It means giving them space when needed or when they may be making choices that I disagree with.

3) Respect resources.
This gets very practical. It means taking care of my jeep. It means making the best use of my time. It means using my money in the best way possible – whether it’s for food or going towards an investment. It means cleaning my apartment, replacing a burnt out light bulb – taking care of what I have.

4) Serve others.
All of us have opportunity to serve. My business (web design and training) and even this blog, are about serving others. Coming alongside my clients, or coming alongside friends, or even coming alongside strangers to help them on their life journey. I have found that I am not called to serve everyone, but to serve those that are within my sphere of influence. (It’s important to know whom we are called to serve. That is another blog entry!)

5) Take care of myself.
If I am to make the biggest impact I can, I need to take care of myself. This includes regular exercise, eating healthy, getting rest, regular appointments with my doctor and dentist, etc. Otherwise, my body wears down and my energy fades and I may not make the impact that I was designed for. This may also include setting boundaries so that my energy, my time, my resources are used in the best way possible.

6) Learn more.
I am a life-long learner.  As a trainer, I am constantly learning, even from the students that attend my workshops. Learning is a group activity. I can learn some things on my own, but the application of that learning is best learned by interacting with others.

7) Be grateful.
Life looks different when I can immediately rattle off 20 things I am grateful for – even in the midst of very dire circumstances. Each morning, wake up and tell God what you are grateful for.

I challenge you to take the time to define your Simple Rules for Life. It may be seven, it may be three. The number isn’t important (although I’d suggest keeping it under 10), it’s knowing what defines our lives that’s important.

I’d love to hear what you discover as your ponder your Simple Rules For Life.

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