Introducing my book ’25 Rules of Life- I wish I had known earlier’. So, two things are clear. These rules are a result of deep introspection into life, dissecting most of the important and critical episodes and milestones. And two, if I had realised these rules earlier, maybe I would have done a lot of things differently, and the results would have been different. There is no regret but only a desire to share this with as many people as possible- maybe they will benefit from it.
RULES
Rules are the threads that weave together the fabric of society, maintaining law and order, structure, and harmony. We are surrounded and governed by rules imposed by governments, institutions, and societal bodies, including the family. Most of these rules are well catalogued, available for easy reference and somewhat universal in nature. Many of them are uniformly applicable to a community. But these are only some of the rules. There is another more customised and hugely personalised framework of rules. These are the ones we create ourselves. Some of these become a part of our habits, approaches, and attitudes.
These rules of life, which are our principles and guidelines, are based on our unique experiences, beliefs, and value systems. Just as the institutional rules govern the functioning of members and collective institutions, the individual rules for life help us navigate the complexities of the chaotic, demanding journey called life.
Our rules of life guide our responses, actions, decisions, and interactions with the world around us. Distilled from our triumphs, failures, joys, and sorrows, these rules provide stability, predictability, and dependence in a world of uncertainty and chaos. However, we must distinguish the rules of life and value systems.
Click to order the book in India, Canada, USA, and UK. Available globally in Paperback, Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
RULES OF LIFE.
To explain the rules of life, let me use a few situations and examples.
As a rule of life, I do not encourage begging. So, whenever I am accosted by a beggar, I willingly offer to buy them food. However, I would only give them monetary help if convinced of their need and urgency.
Another rule I follow is to never leave a book in between. I always complete the book. It does not matter if I find it boring or if it fails to ignite my interest and curiosity.
I do not care about what people would say. I work for my expectations and standards. In a way of speaking- I am obliged to make myself happy, and only I can make myself happy. It does not matter what someone else thinks and says about me. I am guided by a rule many may find counterintuitive in a social environment. People who matter don’t mind, and people who mind don’t matter.
Many of the personal rules of life are rigid and non-negotiable. They strongly govern social interactions and responses. A few rules for life are flexible, as they do not have enough experience backing them or do not have total buy-in. So, the rules of life are contextual.
The personal rules of life are primarily a result of past learning. Experiences that have been repeated with similar results. It is the mind’s way of creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and algorithms to keep life more organised and easier.
The rules of life remain operative until a new set of multiple experiences pushes the person to re-evaluate them.
CUSTOMISED AND PERSONALISED.
The Rules of Life are personal creations and not available for others to read and refer to. However, close associates like colleagues, friends and family members know our rules of life because they regularly interact with us and understand how we behave and what tricks and kicks us. They can predict the way we interact and respond.
Living by the rules of life helps enhance trust and create deeper connections built on the foundation of authenticity and transparency.
Similarly, I have a rule to check my somewhat procrastinating behaviour towards the unwelcomed tasks. This is a late addition to my set of Rules of Life. The rule of – ‘Eating the Frog First Thing in The Morning’. I adapted it after reading the book ‘Eat That Frog’, and now I am a solid convert to this rule of life benefits. It means doing the most tedious, unwelcome task (Frog) first thing in the morning. And, once I have eaten the frog, every other thing (task) during the day is welcome. The day is only going to get better.
25 Rules of Life could have helped me.
I could have professionally done much better in life if I had been aware of the rules of life instead of distilling them after experiencing the situations. These rules of life have served me well and have withstood the test of time and situations. I drilled down the list to 25 Rules of Life. I have shared them in my book – ’25 Rules of Life- I Wish I Had Known Earlier’- so that you have the unfair advantage and don’t have to wait for a personal experience and repeat the mistakes to realise them. The book is available globally on Amazon and on Kindle.
These personal rules of life apply to various life modules and extend to self-care, well-being, ambitions, desires, and more.
The book is available globally in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
BLOG/022/2024 To connect, send an email, join on Twitter S_kotnala or subscribe to the weekly update.
