✴︎ now this

an exercise in self-discipline (and self importance)

I have seen some excellent examples of rules for life lists on the www, and like many millennials with a strong (but only sometimes) sense of self, a good internet connection, and the need to document everything in my life, I thought I should try to add to this body of literature.

so I present a canon of my rules for life.

some of these are hard learned lessons, some of these are lightbulb moments spoken (almost) flippantly and some are philosophies I value and aspire to strongly.

disclaimer: as with everything else, some of these might require some context, not everything is meant to be taken literally.

1. be nice to yourself, not everyone else will be.
2. freedom is underrated.
3. be gracious when you are wrong, and humble when you are right.
4. there is no glory in being miserable. not being healthy or not sleeping does not give you bragging rights.
5. mediocrity as a goal, sucks, but mediocrity as a result is okay. it is more important to aim to improve every single day (courtesy Mark Manson).
6. maintain a healthy relationship with food. do not feel guilty about ‘cheat meals’ or ‘cheat days’ – indigestion is caused by guilt, not food.
7. every thing should have a home, and you should put things in their home when you are done using them. this takes way less time than seasonal cleaning sprees (courtesy Marie Kondo).
8. do not give your 100% all the time, because you WILL burn out. give your 85% consistently, allowing you to give 115% when you really need to stretch.
9. write about your lost loves. preferably in a metrical structure. it helps.
10. put pen to paper more often than fingertips to the keyboard. you end up writing more thoughtfully, choosing better words to express yourself.
11. one nice bra is worth 20 nice chocolates. choose wisely.
12. never apologize for your taste in music. your choice of music makes you happy, that is all that matters.
13. words matter – they add (and subtract) important context and emotion that changes the way meaning is made.
14. it also matters how you say something, along with what you say. you could be factually right, and still piss people off if you aren’t tactical about it.
15. it is usually best to let the ball be in someone else’s court.
16. “Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. Don’t you think? It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world’s greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see.” (Ann Patchett, in Bel Canto)
17. don’t disturb a sleeping someone unless absolutely necessary
18. there is no problem a hug from a dog can’t solve
19. the beauty is in the making of the picture, in the saw-ing of the jig. it is in the trying, it is in the effort.