Live Life According To Good Principles

How great would it be, to have a Life manual?

How great would it be, to have rules and guidelines, just like in a video game?

No more wondering what you should be doing. No more going into the wrong direction.

When you have a clear set of rules, you know where you'll end up. That takes the uncertainty and doubt away.

And the uncertainty and doubt is what makes you procrastinate and quit.

Your Life's Manual

To create a Manual of Life, we have to see our life as a video game. You are a character in this game, on a mission to achieve something.

As in a game, there are certain achievements to develop your character. Just running around killing pigs is fun, but isn't going to get you far in the game.

The same is with life. Except in life, there is no one stopping you from wasting it. You have to figure it all out yourself.

The mission, you can determine all by yourself. You can become an accountant, a rock star, a writer, a businessman, a construction worker. You name it.

The level of your success, is determined by the principles, the rules of the game.

We like to believe that famous rock stars became an overnight success, but that's not the case. They put in the work that no-one else sees.

These principles are your guidelines. Follow these, and you will grow. Do X, and your output is Y.

Before we dive into these principles, we first have to acknowledge that most people don't live by such principles. They don't have a guideline. And that's why their lives suck.

They live as a herd. They follow someone else, who is following someone else. They fall back to the level of society. And the level of society is, per definition, average.

The great people, with excellent lives, live by these principles, consciously, or subconsciously.

And the older you get, the more valuable these guidelines get, because the build up like compound interest.

Good Principles

There are a lot of good principles to live by. These are personal and cultural dependent.

But I believe, these 4 pillars build a strong enough foundation, so that the rest of your life falls into place.

I. Always do your utter best

As cheesy as it sounds, this is the number 1 'secret' of great people. Always do your best.

How often do you really give 100%? In school, at your job, in the gym?

Everyone is doing just enough to not get fired. Everyone is working out just enough to not get fat. They are slacking.

Create a good work ethic, so you can look yourself in the eyes and say, I did my best.

This will skyrocket your career, because no one else is doing this.

That what sets you apart. That what makes you stick out.

You will also achieve your goals faster. Giving 50% every day instead of 100% (what everyone does most of the time) means that it takes twice as long.

The most successful people go all in on something. They aren't slackers. That what makes them successful.

And this isn't just for work or school. Even when reading a book, do your best to understand it. Highlight parts, take notes. Ask yourself questions. That's how you read a book. Not with your phone next to you and a TV show on.

The benefits of doing your utter best are that you will live more in the present. You stop distracting yourself. You focus on the task at hand.

And you'll be more happy, because it gives a sense of satisfaction and pride to really do your best. A feeling that not a lot of people know.

II. The pursuit of love for reality

I know, this sounds strange, but bear with me.

We are taking life for granted. We all do. How often have you stopped and wondered how amazing it is to be conscious and alive?

If you have done that even just 1 time, you are an anomaly. No one does this. Yet, it is completely unknown and unexplainable where life comes from.

Even science can't explain consciousness. It is such a improbable thing that it exists, yet you and me get to experience it.

It is your duty to examine it. Read books on consciousness and reality. Listen to podcasts. There are hundreds of theories just on reality alone.

Open your mind. Contemplate on the miracle of Life. A few good questions you could ask yourself are:

• Where did reality come from?

• Does God exist? What is God? Where does God come from?

• What is consciousness?

• How do I live a good life

It's not so much about the answer, but about the appreciation for life you will develop from thinking about this.

It is truly exceptional that you get to experience this world, this life.

Go make something of it

What this appreciation for life will do, is that it makes you realize how much you have wasted it.

You have wasted 100’s of hours playing video games and smoking weed.

When you truly develop an appreciation and wonder for life, you will try to make something of it.

You will see it as your obligation to try achieve your dreams and goals. Because what else is there to do?

Life is complete Do It Yourself project. We have no idea how we get here and where we come from. And we are put on Earth to make something of it.

So make something of it!

III. Face your fears

Your fears are the only thing between you and your ideal life. Your fears also don't exist but are completely imagined and self-imposed.

Everyone is born with the two innate fears of falling and loud sounds. The rest is learned.

Your fears of talking, of failing, of embarrassment, of rejection, all your fears are put in you by your parents, teachers, friends, and society at large.

All these fears hold you back from taking action and achieving your dream life.

You want to start a business, but you are afraid what your friends and family will say. And don't even get started on the fear of failure when it doesn't work out.

You want to ask that cute girl out, but you fear the rejection, so you just continue day dreaming.

You want to get in shape, but you are afraid of the embarrassment of the first time in the gym.

Believe me, I've been there. This is a daily struggle for me still.

The only way to overcome these fears is to face them. No amount of books or podcasts or meditation sessions are going to help you to overcome them.

You have to experience for yourself that these fears are just an illusion. They are a construction of your mind to protect your ego.

But this holding you back. Because no one dares to face their fears, the people who do, are successful and valuable.

I'm an introverted person and this is accompanied by a fear of talking to strangers and speaking up for myself.

So now every time I go out, I greet people who pass by. And this slowly helps to dissolve my fear of socializing.

There are thousands of small things you can do to face your fears. In your comfort zone you aren't getting any wiser or better.

IV. You get what you put in life

There are 2 ways to live your life:

1. Passively:

where you let the world decide what your life is going to be like. You let your parents, teachers, friends and boss determine your fate.

This is the easiest way because there is no need for you to think. Everything is decided for you. There are no risks, and no rewards.

2. Pro-actively:

Living pro-actively means taking matters into your own hands. You create a vision, set goals and a plan, and work towards it. Every day.

This is hard because you'll deal with a lot of uncertainty along the way. The reward is that you will live life on your own terms.

We want to live pro-actively.

Take care of yourself

This means to take care of your mind and body. Eat healthy, work out. Run and meditate. This makes your life so much easier.

Having a fit body and clarity of mind are your two greatest assets. It's sad to see how many people neglect this.

All the money in the world is worth nothing, if you don't have the capacity, physical and mental, to enjoy it.

Develop a schedule or plan. When are you working out? What are you eating? What moment of the day will you be meditating?

In a world full of unhealthy people, this will set you apart for the rest of your life.

Give away to receive

Life works counter-intuitive. We want love, we want money, we want friendships. But chasing after all this is only what drives it away.

In order to receive love, give it away. Be kind and loving to everyone. Fill yourself with love, and eventually you'll receive it.

Instead of chasing money, provide value. Help businesses grow, and eventually your business will grow.

If you want genuine friendships, first let everybody around you be genuine. Then, you'll form authentic friendships.

The world is a mirror, reflecting your inner state. Your life experience is created by your inner state.

If you are full of love, kindness and value, your life will be full of love, kindness and value.

You can take any kind person you know, assess what their inner state is, and hold it against their life.

You get exactly what you put into life.

Work on your dreams and goals

Opportunities don't just come knocking at your front door. You have to put in the work.

Take daily action in the right direction. One step at a time. Skills and experience can't be bought. You have to put in the work, the repetition.

There is no amount of money in the world you can give someone to teach you how to play the piano, without you actually having to play it.

Your dreams and your goals require a certain skill set. Work on it, every day. Make a plan, make a schedule, and work.

Read books, follow courses, develop yourself. Eventually, step by step, you'll get to your destination.

The time will pass anyway. What else is there to do?

The foundation

There are of course another 1000 principles one can live by. But these 4 named above are the foundation from which all the other principles originate.

The best and the worst thing about life is the amount of freedom you get.

You are completely free to f*ck your life up, shoot some heroin for example, and no one bats an eye.

With this freedom comes a lot of responsibility. And let's face it, we all have no idea what we are doing in life.

Having a set of rules, a set of principles, gives you a handhold. It's the bar that you set so that you will live the good life.

Always doing your best, facing your fears, pursuing reality and get out of life what you put into it are the building blocks on which you build your life.

Now what

We are all extremely busy, and if you are not attentive, you have no time at all to work on yourself and your goals.

Create non-negotiable hours during the day in which you solely work on your life.

Mine are from 5AM to 7AM and from 7PM to 9PM. In these hours I work on my skills, on my business and on myself. No one has access to me.

I recommend you do the same, because people are going to steal your time.

And remember, The quality of your being expresses the correctness of your understanding.