If 17 life’s little rules from a decade ago weren’t enough for you, here are 20 more little rules to add to your daily living.
18. Set Goals And Write The Down. Goal-setting is the process of taking steps to achieve your desired outcome. Maybe your dream is to become a teacher, pilot or engineer. Each one of these dreams involves setting and reaching small (and big) goals. Each of these major goals can be broken down into smaller, more attainable goals that will propel you towards success.
There are three types of goals- process, performance, and outcome goals.
- Process goals are specific actions or ‘processes’ of performing. For example, aiming to exercise for an hour after dinner every day . Process goals are 100% controllable by the individual.
- Performance goals are based on a personal standard. For example, deciding to pursue a pilot’s license. Personal goals are mostly controllable.
- Outcome goals are based on winning. For a college student, this could look like landing a job in your field or landing a job at a particular place of employment you wanted. Outcome goals are very difficult to control because of other outside influences.
But write them down. I’ve discovered that having a visual and tangible goal produces better results.
19. Invest In Yourself. The Editorial Team at Indeed.com described it best. To quote them,
“Investing in yourself is the practice of making yourself into a more experienced, well-rounded person through different tasks, goals and activities. This may include reading more, creating a schedule for yourself or taking a class. If you invest in yourself, you may see improvements in your productivity and happiness.”
20. READ. Knowledge is power and great minds are often feared by lesser minds. A little mantra I often repeat to myself is “power perceived is power achieved”.
21. BUDGET. Design your life to be debt free. This topic alone is worthy of several blogs and discussions on its own. In fact, it probably will be at some point. Living paycheck to paycheck, overspending, and “keeping up with the Joneses” are probably three of the worst things a person or couple can do.
22. Have Mentors In Your Life. To me, this applies to your personal life as well as your professional life. People say you’re the sum of your five closest friends. It’s true and it also applies to your work life.
It’s likely we see the value in having mentors that help us navigate our careers. We see mentors as guides and advisors that can help us take our careers to the next level.
Despite the consensus that mentorship is beneficial, not every company encourages mentoring relationships to support employee development. The reason for the disconnect between the value we see in mentorship and why companies don’t offer it may be a flawed mindset. Companies may feel that the job of career development rests on the employees’ shoulders. They should take the initiative — shouldn’t they? And performance reviews and feedback from managers should be enough to point employees in the right direction.
Leaders with this mindset misunderstand the role of mentorship — a relationship that’s altogether different from relationships people have with their managers. Because of this, they also miss out on the benefits of mentorship. People with the mentor mentality are six times more likely to be promoted over their peers without mentors. So what does having the right mentors provide? Well, several things.
- Mentors can help jumpstart your professional development.
- Mentors help you set smart goals and assist in lining out those trajectories C. Mentors help hold you accountable to your goals.
- Mentors help with your problem-solving abilities and provide guidance as they’ve likely encountered those issues before.
- Mentors help boost your confidence level.
- Mentors help in providing other opportunities for you.
23.Travel. Being well-traveled helps many things. Traveling helps change your mindset through new experiences, learn new things and see many great things.
24.Have A Hobby Or A Sport. Hobbies provide a healthy outlet for various energies. Having hobbies can lower anxiety, lower your stress level, and help cope with depression. Hobbies help you form a life outside of work. You are just relaxing and doing something you enjoy without any of the pressures of the outside world.
25. Define Or Develop YOUR Style.
26.Don’t Compare Yourself To Others. Instead, compare yourself to the person you used to be. Are you the same person you were six months ago? How about a year ago? That’s the person you should worry about.
27. It’s Okay To Do Things By Yourself. Be your own best company!
28. You Don’t Need To Impress Everyone. Save your strength and energy for the things that do. Those goals you set perhaps?
29. No One Cares If You’re Offended- Move On!
30. Don’t Make Decisions When You’re Emotional.
31. Value Your Friends.
32. If You Want A Friend, BE A Friend.
33. ALWAYS Bring A Gift To Someone’s House. If you’re invited to someone’s home, always bring a gift. The type of gift you bring or the value of that gift is certainly dependent on the type of event. If you’re just going over to hang out and watch some TV, a six pack of beer is probably okay. For a dinner party, consider bringing a nice bottle of wine. For something like a housewarming party, maybe something a little more special, like a bottle of nice champagne, a really smooth whiskey, or my personal favorite, an excellent sipping tequila! It’s always a considerate touch when you put that extra thought into something. It will always be appreciated.
34. Open The Door For Others. Doesn’t matter if it’s male or female, nor does their age matter. It’s not being chivalrous, it’s being thoughtful and considerate.
35. YES, You Have To Buy Dinner- And Don’t Split The Check! Don’t be that guy!
36. Take Out The Trash! This is both physical and metaphorical. Get rid of unwanted or unneeded things. Get rid of unwanted or unneeded people. In the long run they’ll only bring you down.
37. Act Like You’ve Done This Before.
Click to read more Primer insights from the Royal Texan, and to return the main collection of life lessons articles.
The Unofficial Ambassador for the State of Texas