“You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.”
- Henry Louis Mencken
We all need to access more courage in order to live our lives with greater joy, love, power, choice, integrity, and fullness. And we all can envision and create a better tomorrow while finding courage to make required changes.
Courage means ‘heart.’ It cannot be found in one great, heroic act, but in day-to-day actions that come from the heart, and from our willingness to take the path of heart.
We can cultivate and develop courage; it’s just a matter of discovering what’s most vital and enlivening.
So, grab your life by the throat and start living a bold life. Here are the ten commandments:
I. You shall not quit, because it ain’t over till it’s over.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up! If someone tries to put you down, use that as fuel to get you to your goals. If you get rejected, keep trying. Pursue your goals with passion and confidence, and you’ll succeed in whatever endeavor you take on.
What are you made of? Really, what makes you tick. And how strong do you think you are?
Whenever you will feel fear, tiredness, discomfort or laziness, stare them right in the eyes and just laugh. Because the bottom line is if you want something and commit to paying the price to get it, you will, sooner or later, have everything you could ever want in your life.
So never quit on yourself. It ain’t over till it’s over.
II. You shall think before you speak.
When you engage another person in conversation, always think before talking. May sound simple, but everybody knows someone who does not think before talking. You know the saying, “Putting his/her foot in his/her mouth.”
I know your mind has many random thoughts, but there is no need to expose them to the world. Look at good politicians, sales people, and diplomats. They are masters at saying enough to stay out of a conflict, but somehow they still manage to get a particular point across.
So, before you open your mouth, just turn over your thought and inject it with a trace of reason.
III. You shall not try to save someone from himself, because you will fail.
You can try if you want - and you will - but you’ll eventually fail. You have to understand that your belief that you know what’s best will always be trumped by his belief that he knows better.
So, treat his crash-and-burn like a good New Year’s party: Enjoy the carnage, but offer to stay and help clean up afterward.
IV. You shall surround yourself with good people.
If you want to achieve great heights, you must fly with the best. And people will always judge you based on those that surround you. So choose your friends carefully.
If you choose people of quality, competence and integrity to work and live with, you will eventually come off looking brilliant from the onset.
And remember to stay away from negative people as much as you can, they are really draining. Bad taste in pants can be forgiven. Bad taste in friends cannot.
V. You shall not think life is fair, because it isn’t.
Life just isn’t fair, and I know this might sound crazy - but that’s great news!
If life were ‘fair’, you would be in trouble. And that’s because you wouldn’t be able to do anything to change your personal success, you’d get what everyone else was getting.
Truly, the best part of this realization is that you CAN change your personal success in ANY area you want. And you can turn the tables around in YOUR FAVOR, because many people living in our society feel the house is playing with a stacked deck.
Life isn’t fair! Now realize the truth and harness the power of flipping it around.
VI. You shall always consider the source.
With so many different media we have today, why rely on just one person to get help? Why would you put success on the line by allowing only one person to mentor you?
Because no matter how much experience or how well you think they are trying to guide you, you have to validate that advice by checking for yourself. Never take advice only from one source.
Remember that only after you’ve gathered enough data and finished reading anecdotal reports you can make a well-informed decision. And when you can, when you have time-tasted information to provide, make sure to share your experiences with others.
VII. You shall get over yourself.
That curing-cancer story you have is good only as a nice résumé builder and good for about 5 minutes of party talk. After that, all anyone wants to hear is just a good joke.
I think it’s time for our society to take a more modest approach and quit this destructive pursuit of self-esteem at all costs.
VIII. You shall shut up and play.
Are you one of those people who is always complaining about how the world is run? Well let me tell you something: Complaining accomplishes absolutely nothing. If you have a problem with something, you’re the only person responsible for fixing it.
There is no one else you need praise or blame, you have to take responsibility for your own life. There is no ‘they,’ ‘him,’ or ’she.’ No one is going to fix your life. You are!
So get out there and get your hands dirty, don’t just stand there holding a towel for others. The world needs people willing to do something, not people who just talk about doing something. Don’t just raise your voice, lift your feet and get moving!
IX. You shall not try to please everyone.
You can’t be everything to everyone, no matter how hard you try.
Don’t cry, get mean, yell or vent during confrontations. Be confident, state what you feel and let the person show their true self. Laugh until your side hurts. And remember that you can’t please everyone.
People will always find some fault with your site, your work, your housekeeping, your parenting and whatever else they can come up with. So what? What counts is that YOU know you are doing the best you can, and you feel good about yourself.
Don’t worry about pleasing everyone.
X. You shall not ponder so long.
There’s nothing less captivating or inspiring than watching a man ponder. Heck, even Thoreau eventually stopped staring at the pond and wrote a book.
Remember that pain is only temporary, but quitting lasts forever. So, live a strong, bold life!
Anyone want to revise these? Add new ones and remove ones that aren't so good?
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