My 15 Maxim's for an Authentic Life
Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a user manual? Such a guide would offer answers to every conceivable question or problem humans might encounter.
Of course, I never read user manuals. I doubt I’d read a User Manual to Life even if my life depended on it. Companies have figured out that no one reads user manuals. That’s why they came up with Quick Start Guides.
What I need is a Quick Start Guide to Life.
Quick Start Guides differ from user manuals in that they are focused on helping the user get started as quickly as possible. They are short and easy to read. When it comes to a product, I want to start using it as quickly as possible. When it comes to life, I just want to know what to do and what not to do as quickly as possible.
A Quick Start Guide to Life would help me answer such basic questions as:
· What are my options with life?
· How do I set up a life of integrity?
· How do I show up authentically?
· How do I prioritize relationships?
· What are the warning signs I should be aware of?
Unfortunately, I’m not aware of anyone publishing a Quick Start Guide to Life. So in the next set of posts, I intend to present 15 maxims (short, pithy statements that, to me, express a general truth or rule of conduct) that have served me well.
I’ll say a bit more about each of the maxims in subsequent posts. Meanwhile, here are the 15 Maxims that I’d include in my Quick Start Guide to Life.
1. Remember the Names of People You Meet
2. Avoid Using the Word “But”
3. Accept Every Invitation
4. Lean Into Both Compliment and Criticism
5. Count to Five Before You Say No
6. Practice Accurate Listening
7. Skip the Complaint and State the Request
8. Lose Something Every Day
9. Decide You don’t have to Take it Personally
10. Sit Up Front
11. Decide Who You Are When You Show Up
12. Avoid Mixing Relationships
13. Accept That the Facts are Friendly
14. Have Lunch with a Friend Every Week
15. Never Play a Game with a Child that You Have Any Possibility of Winning