Friday, April 17, 2009

Being Human Rules

Many years ago I saw in the restroom of a gallery, where I sold my paintings, the following list of "Rules for Being Human". Perhaps you also read those rules somewhere in the past. Nevertheless, those rules inspired me so much that I want to share with anyone who reads this.

RULES FOR BEING HUMAN (author unknown)

(1) You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.

(2) You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time school called Life. Each day you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you THINK you need.

(3) There are no mistakes -- only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success.

(4) A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and behavior), then you can go on to the next lesson.

(5) Learning lessons does not end. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lesssons. As long as you live, there will be something more to learn.

(6) "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" has become a "here", you will obtain another "there" that will again look better than your "here". Don't be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.

(7) Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.

(8) What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. Remember that through desire, goal-setting and unflagging effort, you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.

(9) The answers lie within you. The solutions to all of life's problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust.

(10) You will forget all this. Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself, everything you've just read won't mean a thing.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like this list! I like it so much I'm going to print it and hang it on the wall.
Thank you for sharing that, what a philosophical thing to find posted in a bathroom.

sue said...

That's exactly what I thought when I first read those 'rules'. That gallery also sold many of my paintings. LOL I'm glad you also felt inspired by that list. I need to reread that from time to time. So posting it on my blog (and on the Food & Feelings board) will remind me.