Once on this blog I had a series called “Suger’s Rules” and the best of these was Suger’s Rules for Living*. It was a laugh and a short and sweet post about things I know to be true. Rules for living. It has certainly been a while since I’d shared anything like that, my rules for life. But then this happened…
You might as well jump I said in reply to an Instagram comment.
As I did I nodded and thought how much I keep that short and sweet saying in mind in life. The more I thought about it, the more I realised I have five simple but effective rules for living well. Quotes or ideas to live by. Some serious, some not so serious, but all remind me of the life I want to live. And in that way they have become a mantra for me. So I’m sharing them with you, in case you need them. Enjoy.
Few people my age will have missed seeing Empire Records. If you did miss it, you probably don’t know one of the key lines in the movie ‘damn the man’ and the impact it had on movie goers everywhere. For me it has been my go-to motto for when I don’t feel I’m being treated fairly, or someone is holding me back, I draw on it. Sometimes calling upon a bit of angry doesn’t hurt, it’s motivational and inspiring. Damn the man indeed.
I think the full saying is life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. It’s the final piece that I love most. My life is my creation; no one else can impact my life for long. I have control, and I feel like this stands beside me and nods its head. Yes, you do lady, you’ve got this. It also reminds me in hard times that I only have me to count on to change things. I dare you not to be inspired by that. It always works for me. You know, after I’m done having a whinge.
The line that started this whole post, the Instagram comment. You might as well jump. It’s along the lines of do you ask for permission or ask for forgiveness line of thinking. For me, it’s about getting things done before I know how they will, about a little bit of faith and about leaping off the edge into the unknown. It’s all those things. Next time something happens and you have to choose whether to go ahead or stay behind, I wonder now if you’ll hear me say ‘meh, you might as well jump’ with a shrug of my shoulders.
Apart from the obvious, that you are NEVER too old for a Disney movie, this mantra for me is about me being inspired. As an adult, I started to shut down the part of me that wanted things. The dreamer in me, the whimsical and often silly side. The dreamer who loved to lay in the grass and stare at the sun. Which could explain my eye sight issues… That side of us can get lost. This is a reminder to me to just be a kid sometimes. To play, be silly, dream, laugh and sing.
An oldie but a goodie this one is for the overactive but often under productive part of my brain that likes to complicate things. Thinking too much, planning too much and always in intricate ways that made achieving what I wanted conditional upon a lot of things going right. So for me, keep it simple is about getting it done in the simplest, most direct manner and seeing what shows up on the other side.
So there they are my five rules for life. Simple but effective and especially good as I draw on them more and more. It’s easy to lose focus when you are setting about living a big exciting life. You need something to remind you what you want for yourself. Something to keep you present when you start to stray off the focus path. Words to live by, can’t beat that. Do you have a motto you live by? I’d love to hear it.
* If you’re interested in the other Suger’s Rules, just search Suger’s Rules in the search box on the blog and they will all show up. I checked. Let’s all have a chuckled at how funny I think I am, shall we. Haha.
Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.
