A personal code for living your life your way.
From a very young age you've been inundated with other people's well-intended rules. Whether from teachers, friends or parents, these helpful principles and bits of gracious advice are supposed to help you get on in life. The trouble is, many of these rules aren't true (at least not all the time) and yet they have a major influence on your life whether you realise it or not.
How do you sort the gold dust from the sawdust?
In The Rules to Break, international bestselling author Richard Templar exposes the most common phoney rules, explains what's wrong with them and then offers a refreshing alternative and a new way of thinking. Above all, he'll help you master the ability to truly think for yourself, so than you can follow a path that you've chosen, rather than blindly following someone else's.
1 "Success is a good job earning lots of money" Rule 1: Success is what you say it is 2 "Some people are just born lucky" Rule 2: Don't envy other people 3 "You need the right qualifications" Rule 3: Exams aren't the be all and end all 4 "Your parents are always right" Rule 4: Don't expect your parents to be perfect 5 "Your parents are responsible for how you turn out" Rule 5: Give your parents a break 6 "The world is against you" Rule 6: You're responsible for your own life 7 "We all have an absolute right to be respected" Rule 7: There's a balance between the right to respect, and tolerance 8 "You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family" Rule 8: Your siblings should be your best friends for life 9 "Teacher knows best" Rule 9: Getting on at school is not the same as getting on in life 10 "Have something to say for yourself" Rule 10: If you find it hard to talk, try listening 11 "Some people are just difficult" Rule 11: No one chooses to be difficult without a reason 12 "Don't waste your time on people who aren't worth it" Rule 12: Suffer fools gladly. Well, suffer them, anyway 13 "You can't be cheerful if you're in pain" Rule 13: Pain doesn't have to make you miserable 14 "Good work speaks for itself" Rule 14: No one at work will know how good you are unless you tell them 15 "Do what it takes to get what you want" Rule 15: Don't emotionally blackmail people 16 "A place for everything, and everything in its place" Rule 16: It's not morally superior to be tidy 17 "It matters what other people think" Rule 17: Don't live for other people's approval 18 "Give as good as you get" Rule 18: You get what you give 19 "Stick with your own kind" Rule 19: Your friends don't all need to be like you 20 "The best things in life are free" Rule 20: Everything worth having hurts 21 "You can change people" Rule 21: Don't try to change people 22 "It's where you're going that matters, not where you came from" Rule 22: Be proud of your roots 23 "Friends are for life" Rule 23: Friends come and go 24 "Mistakes are a bad thing" Rule 24: Mistakes can be good 25 "Be a friend to everybody" Rule 25: You don't have to like everyone 26 ". . . and everybody will be your friend" Rule 26: . . . and not everyone will like you 27 "If you don't like it, tough" 56 Rule 27: Remember, you have a choice 28 "You need to get your chores over with" Rule 28: Life's all about the little things 29 "Stay true to your dreams" Rule 29: Priorities change over the years 30 "People have a right to know" Rule 30: Know how to keep a secret 31 "Face your fears" Rule 31: Replace the bad thoughts 32 "Make a New Year's resolution every year" Rule 32: You can't change habits unless you want to 33 "Respect the elderly" Rule 33: Respect everyone 34 "Look after number one" Rule 34: Helping other people makes you feel good about yourself 35 "If you're in the firing line, keep your head down" Rule 35: They can't walk all over you unless you're lying down 36 "Just ignore the bullies" Rule 36: Don't let 'em bully you 37 "Think on your feet" Rule 37: Be in control 38 "What you do is more important than why you do it" Rule 38: Be honest with yourself 39 "You can judge a book by its cover" Rule 39: Everyone has a backstory 40 "Put the past behind you" Rule 40: You have to deal with your stuff before you can get on with your life 41 "What about me?" Rule 41: It's not all about you 42 "Just once won't hurt" Rule 42: Don't let bad habits get a foot in the door 43 "Be spontaneous" Rule 43: Listen to the voices in your head 44 "Take one step at a time" Rule 44: If you want big things to change, you have to make big changes 45 "The best people will be there for you for life" Rule 45: People come and go, and it's OK 46 "Enjoy yourself while you're young" Rule 46: Your body is for life 47 "Borrowing is OK so long as you can pay it back" Rule 47: Don't get into debt 48 "Be generous" Rule 48: Never lend money unless you're prepared to write it off 49 "Believe you're the best" Rule 49: Know your real worth 50 "Don't allow people to make you feel bad" Rule 50: The only thing you can control is you 51 "Some people just get to you" Rule 51: No one can make you feel anything 52 "You can't help how you feel" Rule 52: You feel what you think 53 "Actions speak louder than words" Rule 53: Don't take anyone for granted 54 "Avoid unnecessary displays of emotion" Rule 54: Say thank you out loud 55 "The internet makes you anonymous" Rule 55: The Rules don't stop online 56 "Always seek to improve yourself" Rule 56: Accept your shortcomings 57 "Strive for perfection" Rule 57: Perfection can be a handicap 58 "You are the product of your genes" Rule 58: You are the sum of your experiences (so make them good) 59 "Tomorrow is another day" Rule 59: How you spend your day is how you spend your life 60 "There aren't enough hours in the day" Rule 60: Know your limitations 61 "Always get off on the right foot from the start" Rule 61: Bide your time to make a good impression 62 "Confident people know where they're going" Rule 62: Everyone else is as lost as you 63 "Stand out from the crowd" Rule 63: There's a fine line between being ubercool and being a total prat 64 "Appearances matter"
Rule 64: Be happy with the way you look 65 "It's just a drop in the ocean" Rule 65: The insignificant is important 66 "The job comes first" Rule 66: Don't mistake your career for your life 67 "Get it all out in the open" Rule 67: Avoid conflict 68 "If you know you're in the right, don't back down" Rule 68: Don't be afraid of compromise 69 "Some people are just asking for it" Rule 69: Keep the moral high ground 70 "It's good to let your feelings out" Rule 70: Don't trample on other people's emotions 71 "No one is perfect" Rule 71: Be on the side of the angels, not the beasts 72 "Meet your deadlines" Rule 72: Keep ahead of deadlines 73 "Give good advice" Rule 73: Don't give advice 74 "Let people know when you're right" Rule 74: Never say 'I told you so' 75 "Stick to what you're good at" Rule 75: Stretch yourself 76 "You've a right to be treated fairly" Rule 76: Stop expecting life to be fair 77 "The more you learn about a subject, the more of an expert you become" Rule 77: The more you know, the more you don't 78 "You can't learn anything from a fool" Rule 78: Learn from other people's mistakes 79 "If you're going to do something, do it properly" Rule 79: You don't have to jump in the deep end 80 "Stick with what you know" Rule 80: Step out of your comfort zone 81 "People will judge you by what you own" Rule 81: Don't try to keep up with the Joneses 82 "Hide your mistakes" Rule 82: Remember, you could be wrong - someone has to be 83 "Live in the present" Rule 83: Keep perspective 84 "Know what you want" Rule 84: You don't have to know what you want 85 "Guilt tells you where you're going wrong" Rule 85: Don't do guilt 86 "Someone will make it better" Rule 86: Pick yourself up (no one else will do it for you) 87 "Think through your problems" Rule 87: Thinking hard doesn't always help 88 "Narrow down your options" Rule 88: Look at all the options 89 "Stick to a plan" Rule 89: Life is unpredictable 90 "Trust no one" Rule 90: Trust everyone 91 "Trust everyone" Rule 91: Trust no one 92 "Sometimes you need a good moan" Rule 92: There are people who moan, and people who just get on with it 93 "Don't sacrifice yourself for a relationship" Rule 93: It's the compromises that make relationships worth having 94 "Feelings should be rational" Rule 94: Feelings aren't right or wrong - they just are 95 "Eat, drink and be merry . . ." Rule 95: Stay alive 96 "I want doesn't get" Rule 96: Ask for what you want 97 "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Rule 97: Look up 98 "Find yourself a safe job" Rule 98: Follow your passion 99 "Protect your property" Rule 99: People are more important than things 100 "You can't change horses in midstream" Rule 100: It's never too late to start following the real Rules
Rules to follow 1 No man is an island 2 Two wrongs don't make a right 3 When in Rome, do as the Romans 4 Don't judge a book by its cover 5 For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction 6 There's no such thing as a free lunch 7 Do as you would be done by 8 The pen is mightier than the sword 9 Keep dry, and away from children 10 Give it time
