R.L.Stevenson’s “Rules of Life”
Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous author of Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde suffered throughout his short life from respiratory illness and he spent many years looking for a climate that would cure him. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 41 and is buried on Samoa. In spite of his considerable suffering he had twelve positive attitude tips that he lived by that I would like to share with each of you. They are still incredibly good rules to live by.
- Make up your mind to be happy, learn to find pleasure in simple things.
- Make the best of your circumstances. Everyone has problems. The trick is to make laughter outweigh the tears.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously, Don’t think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.
- You can’t please everybody. Don’t let criticism worry you.
- Don’t let your neighbor set your standards. Be Yourself.
- Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
- Don’t borrow trouble. Imaginary burdens are harder to bear than the actual ones.
- Hate poisons the soul, so don’t carry grudges, avoid people who make you unhappy.
- Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about new places.
- Don’t hold post mortems. Don’t spend your life brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
- Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
- Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
As each of you lives your life remember his advice. Your attitude towards any given situation you encounter will almost always affect you far more than the situation. Attitude is everything in life”
It can sometimes be hard to remember these, especially when you are in a tough spot. I’ve put it up in a prominent place. Great as a mood-booster.
Cheers!
Vidya
