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content/post/2017/12/29-anchorpoint-in-the-eye-of-chaos/index.markdown

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+layout =	"post"
+title =	"Frenetic Scribblings #29: Anchorpoint in the eye of chaos"
+date =	"2017-12-30"
+categories = ["writing"]
+tags = ["freneticscribblings"]
+[[resources]]
+  name = "header thumbnail"
+  src = "**gN5K-mCCunX5d2y1UOlAzw*"
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+One of the few things in my life that I treat in an absolute manner are my rules.
+
+Gibbs from the TV show NCIS was the original idea behind my writing down of life rules. Indeed, I have shamelessly stolen some of his rules.
+
+It is key to clarify that these are not rules I would ever dream of applying to others. These are created by myself (and Gibbs) and apply to myself alone.
+
+Just like my pendant, they are a constant. One of few Life is a constant flux, and in particular the past few years have been a whirlpool of change for me. The rules have been an invaluable guide in my darkest hours.
+
+The rules have changed too, but not much. Refined, a couple added. Twice a single one removed, each time accompanying a massive shift in my life outlook.
+
+They are semi-private, shared with a select few. Or, I should say, were. Because I’ve decided to share them. To wear my life code like a badge, in no small part to aid me in staying true to them.
+
+It’s why I consider them absolute. The rules can be bent, but they should not be broken. As the rules themselves reference. Any time I have broken my rules, it hasn’t worked out well for me. Once, it almost killed me.
+
+So here is my life code. An incomplete window into my life philosophy. Refined gradually over time, but staying true at the core. Transcribed as an odd collection of wisdom splinters.
+
+Perhaps these, as Gibbs did for me, will inspire you to write out your own previously unwritten rules. It’s a worthy exercise.
+
+In no particular order, except for the fact rules 0-2 are considered central.
+
+0. Question. Always.
+1. Live to the benefit of others.
+2. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
+3. Don't believe what you're told. Double check. [G]
+4. If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second-best is to tell one other person if you must. There is no third best. [G]
+5. You don't waste good. [G]
+6. Judge people on their actions alone.
+7. Always be specific when you lie [G]
+8. Never take anything for granted. [G]
+9. Aim for the best
+10. Plan for the worst
+11. You never really realise what you have, until it's taken away.
+12. Words are a weapon like any other. Use them as such.
+13. [REDACTED]
+14. Bend the line, don't break it. [G]
+15. You don’t need a reason to say thanks.
+16. If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it. [G]
+17. There are no third chances.
+18. It's better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. [G]
+19. Be ruled by head not heart.
+20. You can’t make rules for the heart. Only guidelines.
+21. [REDACTED]
+22. Practice may not actually make perfect, but it certainly bloody helps!
+23. Look to the future, but not too far.
+24. Hope is the one thing this bastard universe cannot take from you.
+25. You gotta take the bad with the good.
+26. Both bad and good are finite.
+27. Sometimes preparation is as good as seeing the future
+28. If you need help, ask! [G]
+29. Live in the present. The past is past, the future is uncertain, but the now is yours to shape.
+30. Today you...tomorrow me.
+31. Life's too short to live in fear.
+32. Never say never
+33. Information is power.
+34. Always expect the unexpected.
+35. Be unpredictable.
+36. If it feels like you're being played, you probably are. [G]
+37. Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to be weak in order to grow stronger
+38. Philosophising never actually helped anybody.
+39. There is no such thing as coincidence. [G]
+40. Never leave a debt unpaid.
+41. A man’s honour is his life.
+42. Don't ever accept an apology from someone that just sucker-punched you. [G]
+43. Never make a promise you can’t (don’t) keep.
+44. Sometimes...less is more. Or says more.
+45. Clean up your messes. [G]
+46. Just because things are, doesn’t mean they ought to be so.
+47. Don’t ask why. Ask why not.
+48. Life ain’t. fair. Don’t settle for the hand you’re dealt. When you can, stack the deck.
+49. [MERGED]
+50. Would it help?
+51. Sometimes - you're wrong [G]
+52. Nothing comes free. Not all cost is financial.
+53. Hold lightly, do not strangle
+54. If something is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.
+Interesting that throughout all the tumultuous change of what I suppose are my ‘formative years’ these rules ring as true for me as they always did. Here’s to being better at following them.
+
+Until tommorow, there you have it.
+
+
+> Thought for the day: Robert Frost — I took the [road] less traveled by, and that has made all the difference