My 10 Commandments

Someone asked me a few weeks back if I have any principles in life that shapes my actions and thoughts. Having put some thoughts to it, I figured out that despite me not having any specific principles, there are certain things that I strongly belief in. The following is a list of my “10 Commandments”, in no specific order summarizing how I belief life should be lived.

1. Shape up or shut up – If you’re not satisfied with certain things, either rise to the challenge by doing something to improve the situation or stop complaining & learn to live with it.
2. What if tomorrow never comes? – Live life to the fullest and never live to regret a single day. Be cheerful, be thankful and try to accomplish everything you have set out to do for the day.
3. The glass is always half full – Look at everything from the positive aspect. Things might not change but if we change the way we look at it, there would be a significant difference. Be a ruthless optimist!
4. Eat what you cook! – If you’re intending to do something, always be prepared to face the consequence (be it good or bad). Never blame it on anyone else.
5. Never ask, never know. Never try, never know – When there is something that you are hoping for or have been wanting, do not be afraid to ask for it or try to achieve it. The worse thing that could happen is to be getting “no” as an answer or not getting it. By trying, you would at least have a 1% probability of succeeding as compared to a 100% assurance that you would not be getting anything if you did not even attempt.
6. Do unto others what you would want others to do unto you – Treat everyone with respect and try to see how you can make things a little better for other person. (Belief or not, though this might sound a bit corny; I do consciously remind myself to treat everyone with respect and I do try to make things better for the people I interact with.)
7. All T’s crossed and all I’s dotted – Nothing can be taken for granted and we would need to do all we can to ensure that things fall into place the way we want it to be. What might be an easy way out today will somehow or rather come back to haunt us later. Hard fact of life is that there are no shortcuts.
8. If it’s no longer fun, walk away – Whatever it is we are doing must always be of value to the individual. Do not do it simply because others are asking you to or expecting you to. When it’s no longer something we enjoy doing, always put an end to it and never compromise on this.
9. There are no certainties in life – All good things might come to an end and as such, we should savor it while we can. Life is never a bed of roses and the least expected can always happen. Appreciate everything we have and be prepared to lose it all the very next moment.
10. Rules are meant to be broken – In total contrast to the 9 “commandments” above, I don’t belief in planning for everything. Sometimes, we just have to follow the flow and take risks. As such, the final “commandment” is my “get out of jail free” card which leaves me with some space to maneuver around.