The Basic Rules of Life - PART FOUR

The Rules - Part 4


Moderation in all things.
Too much of anything is not good for you. Life is a balancing act and success in life is finding that balance. A glass of wine with dinner, each day is not going to hurt you and in fact may be good for you. Three glasses of wine is probably over doing it. One cheeseburger a week won’t kill you. One a day will cut off your life a little sooner than you’d like. Too much exercise, too much fiber, too many vitamins, too much work, too much sleep, too much of anything probably means you’ve got a problem. Step back, examine the imbalance and adjust.

Moderation in all things, but have passions.
If there is something that you really enjoy, then forget all you have been told about being moderate. Immerse yourself in that thing with open and loud passion.

Shut up and listen.
You can’t learn anything by talking all the time. Listen to the experiences of the old and the guileless observations of the young. And if you are alone, quiet your mind and just listen to the wind. There are things to be learned there as well.

Be patient, kind and helpful…
…to the young, ill and aged. For at some point in your life you will be all three.

Smell a tree and remember it.
Appreciate nature and notice it whenever you can. Nature is not always pretty, but it is always true. Even if you don’t learn a single cosmic truth from nature, its just good for you to get outside once in a while. Watch at least one sunset a week. Learn the name of at least 5 birds and their songs. Press a flower in a phone book and then look at it. Look for animal tracks near streams. Remember the smell of trees and rain. A more intoxicating perfume has yet to be manufactured by anyone.

Walk when you can, drive when you must.
You see more cool stuff and it’s good for you. Don’t always park close to the front of the store. Just pick a place and park the car. Then walk. Take walks when ever possible. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life that we miss dearly if we couldn’t do it. If you don't want to walk or it really is too far, then ride. It's amazing what you miss when you drive. Smelling stuff for instance; the smells you encounter when riding is always a surprise.

Success =?
What is success? Well, that depends on who and what we’re talking about. Plus, the definition varies from person to person. But I know there are some commonalties among all successful people. Successful people are happy of who they are and who surrounds them. They may not enjoy their job, but they enjoy some activity that may be funded by their job. Money is no gauge of success. I know of many miserable, rich people. They may be good at just one thing and lousy at everything else. Success comes from within and is determined by the individual’s standards and not by others. You’ll know when you become successful. Don’t worry if not another person on earth recognizes it.