Golden Rules on Living the Good Life

Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.

         What is good life? What is happiness? What is success? What is pleasure? How should I treat other people? How should I cope with unfortunate events? How can I get rid off unnecessary worry? How should I handle liberty?

The answers to all these questions are condensed in below:

1. Examine life, engage life with vengeance; always search for new pleasures and new destines to reach with your mind. This rule isn't new. Living life is about examining life through reason, nature's greatest gift to humanity. The importance of reason in sensing and examining life is evident in all phases of life - from the infant who strains to explore its new surroundings to the grandparent who actively reads and assesses the headlines of the daily paper. Reason lets human beings participate in life, to be human is to think, appraise, and explore the world, discovering new sources of material and spiritual pleasure.

Live a Responsible Life

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

         Each of us has a value set upon which we model our lives. I refer to these as "responsibilities" as I feel it to be the most appropriate description. I have a three layered approach which I term circles of responsibility. Picture them as overlapping with the central portion as your core of being. The three are responsibility to self, others and nature. As they are overlapping, each affects the other and they all affect who you are.

Promises You Should Make to Yourself and Keep Forever

When you become your own best friend, life is easier.

         Life is not all rainbows and butterflies. It can be tough sometimes. And you've paid a heavy price to get this far, so the best option is to really make it count by moving forward from where you are. Free yourself from the world's negativity - from the sources of ignorance telling you what you can and cannot do - by promising to look ahead, to live ahead, and to get ahead. In other words, start making positive promises to yourself!

Negative Thoughts that Push People Away from You

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought.

         We all get our minds stuck in the gutter sometimes. None of us are immune to the negative thoughts that creep up in the backs of our minds. However, that doesn't mean we have to succumb to them. Whether your negative thinking is a common occurrence, or just a once in a while phenomena, it's critical for your long-term-happiness and success that you are able to recognize when you're thinking negatively, and consciously shift your mindset from negative to positive.

         Here are the most common negative thoughts we see people struggle with, and some tips to get back on track:

Question that Will Free You from Judgments and Drama

If you listen closely to your intuition you will always know what is "best" for you, because what is best for you is what is true for you.

         Your body has five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. But not to be ignored are the inner senses of your soul: intuition, foresight, and self-trust. The most common differences between happy and unhappy people lie in their use of these inner senses. So many people don't know anything about them though, while others rely on their inner senses just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more. And this makes all the difference in the world.

Little Habits that Steal Your Happiness

You ultimately become what you repeatedly do. If your habits aren't helping you, they're hurting you.

         Here are a few examples of the latter that will steal your happiness if you let them:

Focusing on everyone's story except your own.
         Don't be so satisfied with the success stories of others and how things have gone for them that you forget to write your own. Unfold your own tale and bring it to life. You have everything you need to become what you are capable of becoming. Incredible change happens when you decide to take control. This means consuming less and creating more. It means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and deciding for you. It means learning to respect and use your own ideas and instincts to write your passage.
         If you want your life story to soar to new heights, you've got to clear a path, reduce the time-sinks and burdens weighing you down, and pick up the things that give you wings. Keep your best wishes and your biggest goals close to your heart and dedicate time to them every day. If you truly care about what you do and you work diligently at it, there's almost nothing you can't accomplish.