In 2008, my friends and I decided to come up with a list of life rules

Our goal was to define the fewest possible rules that applied to any situation in our lives

We refined our list until we had nine rules, each philosophically consistent with the others

I remember sharing the rules with a friend of mine who was a new dad, and he said, “Those are the rules of a child.”

When I shared the list with my parents, they replied with a list of their own:

11 instructions on how to live, and 11 observations about the nature of life

My Dad wrote, “Notice we dated our rules as we think they should change as you grow older and wiser.”

Since then, I’ve kept a file called “The Basics” and use it to capture thoughts on life and how I should relate to it

I updated the list when I became a dad in 2015

And here’s the list as of today

I’m sure it’ll evolve in the years ahead

Want to feel rich?

Get rid of things

Want to be happy?

Get in a rhythm

When things get hard or complicated...
Get started (it’s the hardest part of any task)
Keep going (success is inevitable through hard work over time)
Challenge yourself (joy and duty are one and the same)

Wish for and seek…
A healthy mind, body, and spirit
Loving relationships with family and friends
The satisfaction of spending yourself in a worthy cause

Ask yourself, "Can I give more?"

The answer is usually "Yes."

-Paul Tergat, distance runner, Olympic champion

In one sense, life is a struggle for power (it's harsh, brutal, and unforgiving)

In another sense, life is also perfectly free (it’s joyful, sublime, and beautiful)

Find beauty, wonder, and exhilaration, no matter how ugly, dreadful, or boring life can be

There’s more to life than competition

Strive to be humble, kind, and helpful

Learn from the past, look ahead, and cooperate

Be curious, inquisitive, and aware

Be grateful, gracious, and affectionate

Be carefree, enthusiastic, and self-assured

Embrace change and learn from it...
Fill yourself with ideas
Observe, question, and reason
Explore, ask questions, and think for yourself

Want to be spontaneous?

"Live like a clock."

-Jumbo Elliot, @VillanovaU coach on how runners should structure their lifestyle

(Get up to the first alarm. The rest takes care of itself)

Sometimes it’s easy to forget:

“The number one duty between life and death is to enjoy the moment.”

-Mark Twain

Ultimately, life is not a work of art...

...and the moment cannot last

-A River Runs Through It

Remember, in good times and bad, this too shall pass.

So live life! Enjoy the moment!

Life’s too short for anything else.

This is your life, live it from the ground up, one day at a time!