I confess I don’t know who John Perry Barlow is, although based on his Twitter bio, he’s probably somebody other people have heard of. Apparently, on the eve of his 30th birthday (many years ago), he wrote down a list of principles that he, as an adult, would like to follow.
Although lengthy and likely unrealistic to stay in your wetware for long, it is powerful list of principles. Imagine the kind of person you could become if you submitted faithfully to all 25! I particularly appreciate #3, #10, #15, and #23.
Adult Principle #1: Be patient. No matter what.
Adult Principle #2: Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, not blame. Say nothing of another you wouldn’t say to him.
Adult Principle #3: Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.
Adult Principle #4: Expand your sense of the possible.
Adult Principle #5: Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.
Adult Principle #6: Don’t ask more of others than you can deliver yourself.
Adult Principle #7: Tolerate ambiguity.
Adult Principle #8: Laugh at yourself frequently.
Adult Principle #9: Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.
Adult Principle #10: Try not to forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.
Adult Principle #11: Give up blood sports.
Adult Principle #12: Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Don’t risk it frivolously.
Adult Principles #13: Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)
Adult Principle #14: Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.
Adult Principle #15: Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.
Adult Principle #16: Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.
Adult Principle #17: Praise at least as often as you disparage.
Adult Principle #18: Admit your errors freely and quickly.
Adult Principle #19: Become less suspicious of joy.
Adult Principle #20: Understand humility.
Adult Principle #21: Remember that love forgives everything.
Adult Principle #22: Foster dignity.
Adult Principle #23: Live memorably.
Adult Principle #24: Love yourself.
Adult Principle #25: Endure.
First and foremost, I am a husband to the most incredible woman alive, a father of four amazing children and in general, I love being alive.
One Response to 25 Adult Principles Worth Knowing
I truly believe that all of us could have more of what we instinctively want out of life if we but understood and took advantage of the inner power of the “list” concept. Thanks for sharing this man’s insightful list. I feel that reading another person’s designed list everyday for several weeks or a month could really help me to better define what my list should be.
The basis of my list would be grounded on an idea I had a while back: “First Things First.” Thanks for the motivation to move forward in setting up a written plan for achieving most what I want for my life!
–Carla