Do We Really Need Rules?

Everyone knows that there are supposedly rules and guidelines to live by in order to function well within our world.   Our parents and our teachers taught us these rules and showed us by example.  If one sat down to write the book of life's rules, it actually could be quite a volume to read.  The rules are obviously different for different cultures and circumstances.  What I am talking about are the everyday kind of rules and guidelines.  Let me give you some examples that may be different than what you are actually thinking:

• Let go of your need to control.  Being able to control may make you believe that you are more secure.  It can drive others away and therefore have a tendency that will hinder you from actually achieving your goals.  Basically, this means to share.
• Live in the moment.  The only constant in life is change so living in what is happening in front of you now and doing your best will give you no worry about the future nor sadness of the past.  Just be happy with what is NOW.
• Avoid overthinking.  Take things as they come and listen to your intuition.  It is stronger than you believe.  Trust yourself.
• Be comfortable in your own skin.  No one is perfect.  Love yourself for who you are.  Be proud and walk tall.
• Appreciate and be grateful for what you have.  There should be no comparing what you have to what others have  -  the saying of the grass being greener on the other side?  Hogwash!  Take care of what you have by nurturing it and you shall have the green grass too.  You may not want the whole story that comes along with that green grass that you think is more green than yours.  
• Look for the positive in each situation.  Another way to say this is to try to make lemonade out of the lemons that you believe were given to you.  Move on and start anew.
• Let go of your ego by being true to yourself.  This means not to try to live in an illusion or that illusion will burst before your very eyes.  Definitely an unhappy sight.
• Keep an open mind.  Closing off others due to your beliefs vs their beliefs is a sure fire way to get stuck in a rut.  You do not need to buy into everything new that comes along, however, you do need to be willing to at least listen and be decisive about your beliefs.  The more information that you take in, the better informed your decisions will become.  
• Silence sometimes is better than being right.  It is rather like the person who has to have the last word.  Why?  What do you gain?
• Slow down and say thank you and please.  Smile and take deep breaths along the way.  This will help you to take the time to do what makes your soul happy.

There are many more that I have heard of or read about but I can easily slide them into one of the above categories.  These general guidelines will help to get you where you want to go in life. Speaking of getting where you want to go, there is a man who has achieved quite a lot in his life so far and he has written what he believes are life's rules, of which there are only three:

• Life isn't fair  -  get used to it.
• If you think your teacher is tough  -  wait till you get a boss.
• Be nice to nerds.  Chances are you will end up working for one. 

Bill Gates believes in keeping it short and simple.  Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten kept it simple also.  He just went into a little more detail about life's rules.  

There will be times when a rule gets forgotten and you may have to go back and review your strategies in order to move ahead.  That is okay.  Remember, that we are not perfect.  Things happen.  How you respond is the important part, as well as if you learned anything by the experience.