Rule #1: No Excuses

Rules are made to be broken.

Rules are made to be broken.

Rules are made to be broken.

You can say it a million times, but it's still not true. Yes, some "rules" need to be broken, but not the ones you'll find here. The "rules" that fall under that category are usually either creative in nature (the norms of art, literature, design, etc.) or simply unethical on their face (i.e. segregation laws). Those who act against these rules certainly won't (nor should they) feel any regret.

Which brings us to this rulebook....

In my opinion, there will be very little gray area in these rules. I won't publish a rule that says "Never wear mittens," because there's really no logic behind it (that I'm aware of). Everything I post will be based on my own personal experience and the experience of others. Nothing here will be accidental or superfluous. As much as I've tried, I have never found a situation where it is acceptable to break a rule one day but not the next.

So essentially, when you make it okay to break one of these rules just one time, you're making it acceptable to break all of the rules all of the time. By doing this, you're only setting yourself back.

The solution? Never, under any circumstances, make excuses. Chances are, you're just justifying your bad actions to make yourself feel better. Don't tell yourself that you'll only break a rule one time, because before you know it, you'll say, "Well, nothing really bad happened the last time I did it, so I'll do it one more time." And everything might be fine after the second time, the third time, the fourth time, or even the 100th time. Inevitably, though, everything will catch up to you. It only takes slipping up once to mess up your life forever.

In order to stay consistent, you should always carry a reminder to act ethically. An example of this is "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet, but it can also be as simple as a rubber band on your wrist or a good-luck charm in your pocket. Hopefully, whenever you see your reminder, you'll take a minute to think about what your doing and see how it aligns with your goals and morals.

This rule is the hardest to follow, but if you can do it, everything else will be a walk in the park.