I wrote earlier about my brother's medical incident on Mother's Day. I also mentioned that he is making lifestyle changes that will help him avoid future incidents of this sort.
Of course this entire incident is on my mind, and it's caused a fair amount of anxiety in our family this past week.
Today I thought about the concept of change. I thought that it's best to prepare for challenges in advance. It's a simple concept. For example, I change the oil in my car on a more frequent schedule than recommended because I feel that it's good to do so. I know when I'll have the air-conditioning in my car serviced so that I won't have a problem. Maybe the same principal can be applied to life. Preparing in advance might head off certain catastrophe or unnecessary complications.
When I had this thought, I made a first attempt to jot down some "ground rules" for life that can facilitate change for improving how I live, and help avoid unnecessary crises.
Here goes:
- Realize that other people don’t have to live up to my standards of “perfection.” Cut them some slack.
- Bullies make people feel badly. Don’t be a bully.
- Hydrate.
- Do good and thorough work because it’s the right thing to do; doing so makes best use of my gifts and talents.
- Exercise regularly and see my doctors (medical, eye and dentist) on schedule.
- De-clutter.
- Listen carefully before speaking.
- Make lists and use them.
- Eat more salads.
- Practice being generous.
- Follow through on commitments.
- Nurture good friendships.
- Read good books.
- Be spontaneous, loosen up and take risks.
- Pray.
- Think about things that matter.
- Live a life that reflects my belief in the eternal.
- Use my time at work well, and leave before I’m too tired to do things that are good for me, such as exercise, play, and spending time with family and friends.
- Plan times to unplug and really do it.
- Admit when I'm wrong and own up to my screw-ups.
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