88 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
88 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: post
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title: "Frenetic Scribblings #29: Anchorpoint in the eye of chaos"
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date: 2017-12-30
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---
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One of the few things in my life that I treat in an absolute manner are my rules.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Perhaps these, as Gibbs did for me, will inspire you to write out your own previously unwritten rules. It’s a worthy exercise.
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In no particular order, except for the fact rules 0-2 are considered central.
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0. Question. Always.
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1. Live to the benefit of others.
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2. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
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3. Don't believe what you're told. Double check. [G]
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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]
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5. You don't waste good. [G]
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6. Judge people on their actions alone.
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7. Always be specific when you lie [G]
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8. Never take anything for granted. [G]
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9. Aim for the best
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10. Plan for the worst
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11. You never really realise what you have, until it's taken away.
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12. Words are a weapon like any other. Use them as such.
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13. [REDACTED]
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14. Bend the line, don't break it. [G]
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15. You don’t need a reason to say thanks.
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16. If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it. [G]
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17. There are no third chances.
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18. It's better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. [G]
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19. Be ruled by head not heart.
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20. You can’t make rules for the heart. Only guidelines.
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21. [REDACTED]
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22. Practice may not actually make perfect, but it certainly bloody helps!
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23. Look to the future, but not too far.
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24. Hope is the one thing this bastard universe cannot take from you.
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25. You gotta take the bad with the good.
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26. Both bad and good are finite.
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27. Sometimes preparation is as good as seeing the future
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28. If you need help, ask! [G]
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29. Live in the present. The past is past, the future is uncertain, but the now is yours to shape.
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30. Today you...tomorrow me.
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31. Life's too short to live in fear.
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32. Never say never
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33. Information is power.
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34. Always expect the unexpected.
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35. Be unpredictable.
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36. If it feels like you're being played, you probably are. [G]
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37. Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to be weak in order to grow stronger
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38. Philosophising never actually helped anybody.
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39. There is no such thing as coincidence. [G]
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40. Never leave a debt unpaid.
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41. A man’s honour is his life.
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42. Don't ever accept an apology from someone that just sucker-punched you. [G]
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43. Never make a promise you can’t (don’t) keep.
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44. Sometimes...less is more. Or says more.
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45. Clean up your messes. [G]
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46. Just because things are, doesn’t mean they ought to be so.
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47. Don’t ask why. Ask why not.
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48. Life ain’t. fair. Don’t settle for the hand you’re dealt. When you can, stack the deck.
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49. [MERGED]
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50. Would it help?
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51. Sometimes - you're wrong [G]
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52. Nothing comes free. Not all cost is financial.
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53. Hold lightly, do not strangle
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54. If something is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.
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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.
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Until tommorow, there you have it.
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> Thought for the day: Robert Frost — I took the [road] less traveled by, and that has made all the difference |