16 Rules I Try To Live By

I thought you might enjoy this.

I loved it.

Here are the 16 rules I try to live by:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.

I believe that not much happens of any
significance when we're in our comfort
zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned
about security." My response to that is
simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.

Almost nothing works the first time it's
attempted. Just because what you're doing
does not seem to be working, doesn't mean
it won't work. It just means that it might
not work the way you're doing it. If it
was easy, everyone would be doing it, and
you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.

There's an old Chinese saying that I just
love, and I believe it is so true. It goes
like this: "The temptation to quit will
be greatest just before you are about to
succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you:

Not only accept the worst thing that
could happen, but make it a point to
quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom will the worst consequence
be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of
"undefined consequences." My father
would tell me early on, when I was
struggling and losing my shirt trying
to get Parsons Technology going,
"Well, Robert, if it doesn't work,
they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.

Remember that old saying, "As you think,
so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.

No matter how difficult your situation is,
you can get through it if you don't look
too far into the future and focus on the
present moment. You can get through
anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.

Never stop investing. Never stop improving.
Never stop doing something new. The moment
you stop improving your organization, it
starts to die. Make it your goal to be
better each and every day, in some small
way. Remember the Japanese concept of
Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually
result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.

Remember what General George S. Patton said:
"A good plan violently executed today is
far and away better than a perfect plan
tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.

I swear this is true. Anything that is
measured and watched improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.

If you want to uncover problems you
don't know about, take a few moments
and look closely at the areas you
haven't examined for a while. I
guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors.

But pay more attention to what you're
doing. When you look at your competitors,
remember that everything looks perfect
at a distance. Even the planet Earth,
if you get far enough into space, looks
like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.

In our society, with our laws and even
playing field, you have just as much
right to what you're doing as anyone
else, provided that what you're doing
is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.

Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks.
You'll be doing good if the only meaning
fair has to you is something that you pay
when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.

You'll find that by coming up with your
own solutions, you'll develop a competitive
edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of
Sony, said it best: "You never succeed
in technology, business, or anything by
following the others." There's also an
old Asian saying that I remind myself
of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise
man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Lighten up. Often, at least half of what
we accomplish is due to luck. None of us
are in control as much as we like to think
we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.

Find it. After all, you're really lucky
just to be alive. Life is short. More and
more, I agree with my little brother. He
always reminds me: "We're not here for a
long time; we're here for a good time."


N.B.

Life, happiness and success are something
we all choose...or not.