• Rules for Being Human, author unknown
  • Instructions for Life, from the Dalai Lama
  • Six Tips for Happiness, Advice from Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard University



    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 the entire period this time around.

    2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in the school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

    3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".

    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, you can then go on to the next lesson.

    5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

    6. "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" has become "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will, again, look better than "here".

    7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

    8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

    9. Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

    10. You will forget all this when you begin life.


    I N S T R U C T I O N S   F O R    L I F E

    The Dalai Lama

    1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

    2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

    3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self. Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.

    4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

    5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

    6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

    7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

    8. Spend some time alone every day.

    9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

    10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

    11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

    12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

    13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

    14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

    15. Be gentle with the earth.

    16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

    17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

    18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

    19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.




    S i x   T i p s   f o r   H a p p i n e s s

    Advice from Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard University

     

    1. Give yourself permission to be human.

      When we accept emotions -- such as fear, sadness, or anxiety -- as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

    2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning.

      Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

    3. Happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account.

      Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?

    4. Simplify!

      We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.

    5. Remember the mind-body connection.

      What we do -- or don't do -- with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, seeing, hearing, feeling the nature environment, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

    6. Express gratitude whenever possible.

      We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.