What is your guiding 'principle'?

[cowonthecommon]

I've often heard that having a guiding principle brings purpose and satisfaction in life. Something - a firmly held value - you live by and stick to. Something to sort of 'organise' everything in your life around, which guides you.

Feel in a bit of a slump.

Just asking, what is your 'guiding principle', if you have one? Maybe I just don't know what mine is.

Does it have to be lofty and ethics-based or can you be guided by something more simple, like the need to be organised and have things in order? If anything, that would be mine but is that a little without substance and meaningless?

my children 🤷‍♀️

Done, not perfect (to be honest it comes quite naturally to me)

Oh also,

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Mine used to be: my children come before all else. I made it when I realised I was neglecting them and tired all the time because i was doing so much voluntary work in the community - playgroups, creches, PTA, church. It really helped prioritise workload and if anything went wrong in their lives I dropped everything to focus on them. Now they are grown and have recently left home, I definitely need a new one!

Cheese

Everything in life benefits from cheese.

'Don't be a dick'

Do as you would be done by

And

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Thanks for the replies.

Don't be a dick.

Do things that matter to you, if they don't matter don't do them.

That's a really inspirational philosophy

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

(Helps hugely when feeling unreasonable or ratty or unsure if someone's taking the piss or or just not thinking.)

Life is what actually happens while you are making plans about how to live it.

Acid corrodes its own container.

That I’m not obliged to do something profound with my life. I don’t have to “live my best life”; “make each day count”; “unlock my greatness”; “reach for the stars”. I’m just another mammal shuffling along the mortal coil with no sort of obligation to fulfil wonders. It’s absolutely fine to just be entirely mediocre and to live a mediocre life, finding satisfaction in being comfortable and in the small things, and generally trying not to leave people worse than when you found them - the vast majority of people ever to walk the planet will live this way, and it isn’t some sort of moral failing not to achieve greatness or purpose.

"As long as you do your best I will always be proud of you" said my beloved late father. Words to live by.

This is really helpful, thank you. Instinctively, I think there is something quite worthy - and it shows a dignified humility - to enjoy and make the best of a simple life. Working. Doing jobs. Enjoying the small things in between. We're mammals, as you say. Animals have a certain elegance and nobility, the way they just crack on.

Thank you, you have really articulated what I was looking for clarity on, I think.

Claret is nice.

To thine own self be true

Focus on people you love and care about, nurture the important relationships. Make sure you have the right balance between work and home- work needs just enough, no more.
Don't do anything your conscience tells you is wrong. Don't try and compete with others- know your own limitations and what counts as 'good' for you

Not so much a guiding principle, as an aid to decision making .’ How will I feel about this in 5 Years time?’

Also, there is nothing wrong with being nice.

Our family motto is Don’t be a Knob

Don't make life harder than it has to be.

This too will pass.

The bad times won't last forever and when times are really good be thankful every day for it and squirrel away half your spare money in those times.

@cowonthecommon if you like what @ComtesseDeSpair said, try reading the book 4000 weeks, it has a similar idea of making the best of the little life you have, it's very helpful for taking the pressure off the need to achieve something to live a good life.

Mine is to just try to make a few lives a tiny bit better, like my children's and be a good friend. A good mentor at work to a couple of students. Nothing drastic, just small little ways of making myself count, I guess!

What a great thread ,some good advice .

Treat others as they treat you... Spent much of my life living by the other more well known principle, much to my regret.

“If you don’t run from me, then you will my children.”

I heard this in passing 15 years ago, it is always in my mind and reminds me to raise and educate my children to the best of my ability.