Life’s Little Gems

I was cleaning out some old files and found this little gem tucked away inside. It’s a list of instructions for life that was sent to me by a friend. The paper that it was printed on looks a little worse for wear. However, I can make out the Dalai Lama’s name and assume he originally wrote it.

Instructions for Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you will be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the  current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year go some place you have never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

– Dalai lama