In her book The Happiness Project (2009), Gretchen Ruben develops a framework of mottos that serve as guidelines for her personal approach to life—she calls them her 12 Commandments of Happiness.

Ruben’s Happiness Project website outlines how to write your own set, as ‘the principles that you want to guide your actions and thoughts’. The idea is to listen out for words of wisdom, expressions and metaphors you hear in the world that stay with you and inspire you, and to gather 12 of those sayings into a list that you review and shape for yourself over time.

Following fantastic training yesterday with Demir Bentley and my fellow Lifehackers—here is Part 1 of 12 Commandments: Craft Polish edition, speaking to the self-aware and aspiring mindset:

1. ‘Protect the asset.’ This phrase comes from Greg McKeown’s Essentialism (2014), as a call to self-care and wellbeing—sleep, nutrition and fitness. Health is the asset, and as all action requires a healthy body and mind, this commandment is the first and most foundational.

2. Love your life TODAY. The principle here is gratitude in the present, instead of living in the past, or for the future. Author and healer Caroline Myss says it most powerfully in telling her TEDx audience to make this choice. [NB. If you click only one link in this post, let it be this one.]

3. ‘Stay hungry.’ In his famous Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs ends on the poignant anecdote of the Whole Earth Catalog’s final issue, featuring the image of a country road and farewell message to its readers to ‘Stay hungry. Stay foolish.’ A crucial reminder keep chasing your best life.

4. ‘No one’s coming.’ Mel Robbin’s powerful assertion that no one is coming to save you is the wake-up call everyone needs. Self-directed empowerment is the key.

5. ‘The obstacle is the way.’ Ryan Holiday’s modern take on Stoic philosophy advocates for leaning into challenges and discomfort as opportunities for resilience and growth.

6. Imperfect action. Perfectionism is painful, time-wasting and counter-productive. The premise of acting imperfectly is to, as Nike says, ‘Just do it.’ Even if you don’t know exactly how to, just start.

Next week: 12 Commandments: Craft Polish Edition, Part 2.