13 Powerful Rules of Life for a Happy, Positive & Meaningful Life

You aren’t issued with a rule book at birth, so how are you supposed to know the guidelines? We make our own, so what are rules of life you will set?

I don’t know about you, but when I popped out of the womb, I wasn’t instantly handed a huge, leather-bound book with all the rules of life contained within it. Was I supposed to have been given this when I started school? Graduated?

In any case, I never received a rule book, and I had to make my rules up as I went along. I think I did a pretty good job, seeing as I’m still here, living and breathing and not offending everyone on a daily basis.

Do you have some rules of life?

Have you ever given much thought to your rules of life? Are yours pretty generic, e.g. be nice to people, or do you have some specifics in there? It’s an interesting idea to think about. Maybe you don’t play by the rules, and in that case you wing life and go with the flow.

Is that a better option? In some ways maybe so; at least with no rule book to follow, you stop constantly second guessing yourself and wondering if you accidentally broke some unwritten cosmic law you had no idea about. Let’s face it, life is confusing enough without a book of rules to follow to the letter. [Read: All the amazing reasons why following your dreams is always worth it]

13 rules of life *according to me*

This whole subject got me thinking. If there was a rules of life book, what would it look like, and what would be inside it? I like to think it would be a heavy, huge, leather book with calligraphy writing. If it’s going to be a rule book, it might as well be fancy, right?

Really, it’s what’s inside that counts, so I’ve come up with 13 rules of life I believe would be in that fictional book. Let me know if you agree!

#1 Treat others as you would like to be treated. One of my biggest pet hates on this planet is disrespect. Why be mean to someone for no reason? Why treat someone with a total lack of respect for no other reason than you felt like it? If you believe in karma, and I seriously do, then you know it’s going to come back and bite you on the butt!

My number one rule: treat other people how you would want to be treated yourself. [Read: The 9 golden rules to keep evolving into a better human]

#2 Do something that makes you smile every single day. I sometimes break this rule, especially if I’m PMSing and nothing seems positive, but it’s one to live by. Doing something that makes you smile on a daily basis keeps you upbeat and happy to be alive. It kicks out negativity and boredom and makes you a more cheerful, fun to be around kind of person!

#3 Don’t care what others think of you. As long as you’re doing your best and not hurting anyone else, why should you care what other people think about you? We place so much importance on how we come across to other people, but we forget to realize that the most important person to please is ourselves! [Read: How to stop giving a damn about what people think]

#4 Step away from the phone. This is one of my pet peeves and latest additions to the rules of life book, according to me. Put down the phone, step away from social media, and be present in the moment!

We spend so much time staring at a tiny piece of plastic that it takes us so far away from the people sitting opposite us! It doesn’t matter if you talk constantly to a friend who lives three states away if the person who is with you every single day isn’t getting any of your attention. Seriously, step away from the phone.

#5 Self. Every single second you kick yourself with self-deprecating talk or sabotaging your own happiness, is a second of your life you never get back. Stop putting yourself down and making yourself miserable! [Read: 15 ways to start living your life to the fullest]

#6 Talk, talk, talk. Mental health issues are so prevalent in today’s society, and we need to talk more about how we feel and kick out the stigma. Talk it out, talk to a friend, talk, talk, and talk some more. This is one of my biggest rules of life!

#7 If you like someone, tell them. Regrets and ‘what if’ should never feature in your life, so if you really like someone, be brave and just tell them. If they don’t feel the same, so what? At least you made them feel good by telling them, and at least you know where you stand. Life is too short for keeping quiet.

#8 Never go to sleep on an argument. My grandmother taught me this one. Never go to bed angry or fall to sleep on an argument. You never know if you’ll wake up, as depressing as that sounds. If those last words you spoke were angry ones, how is the other person going to feel? Also, if you can sleep while you know a loved one is upset, that’s not a sign of a good person!

#9 Work to live, don’t live to work. Find a job you love and do it for love. Never allow it to take over your life to the point where it’s all work and no play. The money you earn from your job should be used for life but also for enjoyment. Enjoy your down time! [Read: How to go from exhausted to effortless in life]

#10 Travel as much as your finances allow. Travel as much as you can. Seriously, I say travel as much as possible, but do not land yourself in debt as a result. The world is a wonderful place. It can be seen far cheaper than you might think. One of my major rules of life–see the world!

#11 Forget the timeline. Take it from me, society should not be dictating when you do things in your life. Or whether you do them at all. We feel so much pressure to get married, have children, and settle down, but what if you don’t want that? What if you haven’t done it by the time ‘they’ say you should have? Forget it all! Go with your flow!

#12 Enjoy your food. We become so paranoid about eating certain foods, fearing weight gain. But food is delicious! Why deprive yourself? As long as you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, a treat now and then is allowed! [Read: 15 little changes to be someone who always says, I love my life!]

#13 Stop living in the past or the future. One of the biggest happiness killers is to live your life in the past or to have your head completely in the future. In this case, you’ll be living with regret or fear. Live in the here and now. Then, enjoy it! This moment is never going to come your way again, so make the most of it.

[Read: 22 more life rules that’ll guarantee you’ll never be unhappy again]

Don’t give a second thought to society’s rules of life or what anyone else thinks of you. Your life is your own. Get out there and live it to the fullest while you still have the chance! It could be gone in the blink of an eye.

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