I have written down all of My Rules on my blog already, and now I want to kick off a “series” of blog posts about them! This is just an introduction–a general overview–today. As I continue, I will be making a singular post for each rule, delving into them quite a good bit.
The idea behind these “rules” really began in the early stages of preparing for this vagabond lifestyle of mine. I was researching what made those who came before me successful, and all too often, ended up reading and listening to a lot of philosophical comments they made; things that kept them going when things got difficult, and things that made the already enjoyable even more enjoyable. From that early stage, I began thinking about the philosophies that would make me successful at this life.
I found that there was a lot of philosophical thoughts that even led me into this lifestyle from the get-go, on that train of thought. Things that I have learned through the old lifestyles I’ve had, and sometimes, my very reasons for wanting to get into this lifestyle.
Then I hit the road and got going. I knew from the start that I would “find myself” in ways I never imagined, and that turned out to be very true. As I kept going, I found parts of myself, and I began considering ways that I could state these “new” parts of myself (really, they’ve always been a part of me, though). This eventually led to me starting to write some of these thoughts down.
Initially, some things were difficult to find the right words for. I found an odd overlapping of ideas, and I was all too tempted to state them in extreme verbosity. However, that never felt quite right.
Then came the idea. “Rules!” The ideal rule is something easy to remember. Something simple. Perhaps “rule” is a strange word to many people, as I had more philosophies and life tools in mind, versus the more traditional “Do xyz” or “Don’t do xyz” type rules most people think of. However, like those traditional rules, I knew that these philosophies and tools came with consequences for failing to follow them. Sometimes, those are acceptable consequences, and I even made rules to cover such situations, but they do exist.
So started this endeavor. I began writing down these philosophies and tools in the form of general rules. In the process, more rules came forward, and I found that some times, thoughts that had been brewing in my mind during my travels were encapsulated by rules I was coming up with. Eventually, I suddenly had about 10 rules. That evolved into 18 rules before I decided to start ordering and numbering them.
At the time of this writing, I now have 28 rules. By the time a reader may be reading this, there may already be more. That’s the beauty of my system of “rules”. It is to be expanded. Added to as life teaches me new ideas, new concepts.
Maybe 28 is already starting to seem like a lot of rules. The system isn’t seeming so simple any more. Some of the rules overlap and even contradict one another–the occasional rule even contradicts itself at times. As I write this, I haven’t even memorized them all. Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. It doesn’t really matter–it really isn’t important to know them by heart like that. Although there’s many rules, such a number can be deceiving. It really is simple. Underneath it all, the heart of these rules is more important than the rules themselves.
Perhaps it’s best to point out rules 3 and 10 now. Rule #3 is “There is a time and place for everything.” Rule #10 is “No rule is absolute.” These embody a certain heart to all of the rules. They are tools and philosophies, but they are not the end-all, be-all, so to speak. Sometimes, life just doesn’t follow these rules. Sometimes, no matter how much wisdom I gain, life shows that I’m not so wise after all. Yet they have their place in life, and can even be extremely important at times. These rules tend to be a call for wisdom in action and thought more than a hard line to follow.
Given that, there is a certain element where these rules are simply explorations of myself. What makes me thrive? How do I define success? How do I make my life work for me, instead of me working for my life? How do I embrace life through the best and worst of times, and come out smiling? Who am I?
These are all questions that my rules delve into. On a surface level, perhaps some may not seem so much that way. Alas, I would argue each one does. Perhaps this series will benefit others. Perhaps this series will be a simple reflection on myself. Perhaps both, even. Or. Perhaps I have no idea, and that’s okay! There’s a rule for that!