“Sarah’s 14 Rules for Life”, Written When I Was 14

Recently I was surprised to find a list that I wrote as a 14-year-old: “Sarah’s 14 Rules for Life”. I’m 37 now. So the list is about 23 years old. What’s surprising and not-so-surprising to me is how little my views on life have changed. It’s almost as if I was writing “Thoughts on the Good Life” at age 14.

Back in the day, I wrote this list as guidelines for myself. The 14 Rules I listed made sense to me then, and they make sense to be now. They aren’t earth-shattering or revolutionary or all-encompassing. And they’re are a bit Pollyanna-ish. Also, I haven’t done a perfect job of living my 14 Rules. But I still love them. They represent all the idealism, hope, and love I feel when I think about life.

I’m sharing these 14 Rules with you as an act of self-expression. I’m not suggesting you need to follow them. You likely have your own guidelines for living that are right for you. But I hope you enjoy reading mine.

SARAH’S 14 RULES FOR LIFE

1. Always be nice.
2. Make people feel special.
3. Keep promises and secrets.
4. Be on time.
5. Always bring up what bothers you.
6. Stand up for yourself.
7. Be supportive.
8. Stay organized.
9. Never talk dirty about anyone. Never make fun of anybody.
10. Always defend your friends.
11. Never take your bad mood out on others.
12. Tell people you love how important they are to you.
13. Tell the truth.
14. Admit when you’re wrong and say you’re sorry.

As an adult, the rules on this list still ring true to me in general. They make me feel good about life. I want to continue to live according to these ideals. But now I realize there are exceptions and caveats to all of them. Life is full of paradox. With that being said, I’m so happy I found this list, and I have a reminder of some of my fundamental ideals that are important to me in a deep down, long-lasting way.

The “14 Rules for Life” list in the photo is the actual list I wrote when I was 14. Big thanks to my dad for keeping all kinds of momentos from my childhood.

Thank you for reading Thoughts on the Good Life. Hope you are having a fabulous time in 2019 so far, and as always, I wish you all the best!