Three Important Rules

Lately I've been hawking Pinterest for some good Words. 

On the hunt for the words that make me feel something. Words that make me stand up for something. Phrases or ideas that make me pause and think "Hey, that's the kind of person I want to be. A mantra that I can get behind." 

From "more sleep, more exercise, more love" to "enjoy the little things", there's also some good meaty depth like this gem that I uncovered last week. Incredibly relevant right now in my life and quite worthy of a share today. 

1. Do not promise when you're happy.

Big big big mistake. Promises are huge. If we can't keep a promise, what can we keep? We all know that it's easy to promise the world when you're clouded with endorphins and rose colored glasses. When everything looks up, you look up as well. This is "clouded" judgment and it's really unfortunate to think of all the times I've happily promised something and let people down - even more difficult to think of the times that it's happened to me. Be genuine with your promises, they will follow you. 

2. When you are angry, do not respond.

Duh and duh. My application of this rule has gotten much better with age and with newly acquired patience. I can be pretty temperamental if I'm tested or questioned, so when I feel backed into a corner emotions can escalate quickly. When you find yourself upset, angry or emotional in work or personal life - take a step back to assess the situation, do not make any sudden moves and certainly don't say anything that you can't take back later. 

You can take the word "respond" in this rule to actually be "react", because we all know actions can sometimes speak louder than words. 

3. Do not decide when you're sad. 

This one is pretty hard and something I've always had a bit of a struggle with. When emotions are deciding for you, you'll often rob yourself of the opportunity to make a rational choice in full clarity of your mind. Sad feelings have left me in relationships too long, stopped me from getting out of situations and potentially changed the course of my life. Deciding when you're sad is like emotional suicide - where your heart is telling your head what to do even though your head is the one that knows you best (at least that's what it tells you because it has the college degrees, right?). 

Good luck with your new knowledge!