We all agree that we want a great life—for ourselves and certainly for our children. So why is this so difficult to achieve? If only everybody knew about the rules for achieving a great life, it would probably be easier for us.
Somehow life itself gets in the way, doesn’t it? Self-doubt, wondering which goal to pursue or how to accomplish it, or having to handle unexpected challenges—life can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming.
One of my favourite life coaches, Brendon Burchard, recorded a very impactful 11-minute video on the five rules for a great life.
Perfect for us parents, but also fabulous to share and start the conversation with our children.
1. Have a vision for your life
Having a vision is like creating a roadmap for your life. It allows you to think about the kind of person you are right now and who you want to be in the future. But how do you find your vision? Where do you start?
For Brendon, there are some questions we need to ask ourselves to help us understand what we really want in life:
- What kind of person do you want to become?
- Where do you want your life to head?
- What qualities do you want to have?
- How do you want to achieve your dreams and goals?
- What will you find meaningful at the end of everything?
Once you manage to find the answers to these questions, you’ll realise just what kind of life you’ve lived. You’ll have a better appreciation for the things that make you happy. You’ll even be prouder of the type of person that you’ve become.
But there is a big catch to everything. We need to take the time to sit down and think about these questions. We won’t be able to find a vision for our lives unless we put in the effort.
As Brendon puts it, we can’t just walk out of our house and expect the piano of purpose to fall on our head. Some people are lucky to have that kind of epiphany or awakening. But that’s not really the case for everybody. We have to put in the diligence and work to find out what our vision in life will be.
It’s OK if we don’t get it right away. It just means that we need to go out and experience the world some more. We should go around our community or visit other countries.
To help you achieve one of the first rules of life, we should talk to other people and ask them how they were able to find what they wanted in life. All of these things will help us visualise the kind of life we would want for ourselves.
2. Believe in your ability to figure things out
One of the second rules for a great life is believing in yourself. Brendon talks about the ability to wade into unknown situations and still be confident enough to figure things out on your own.
In life, there are things that don’t always go our way. We don’t always land in situations that are favourable to us. But that’s OK.
What’s important is that we never lose faith in our own abilities. It’s about knowing that with enough time, energy, focus, and resources, we can master any area that we need to succeed in. No matter what storms life throws your way, we can still tell ourselves that we’ll be able to figure our way out of it.
Things won’t always be easy. There will be hardships and frustrations. Other people around us will even be jerks to us. But we’ll find a way through everything. We will learn from all of our experiences.
As we grow through our hardships, we’ll become more confident in ourselves. And along with that confidence, we’ll also become more competent.
3. Have fun chasing your dreams
The third of Brendon’s five rules for a great life is to have fun while chasing our dreams, no matter what.
As we work toward achieving our goals and dreams, we shouldn’t forget to have fun along the way. Even when things aren’t going our way. Even when we’re dealing with a bad boss, bad co-worker, or even a bad spouse.
It can be a challenge at times, but we should approach every situation with joy and eagerness. Instead of waiting for something fun to happen first, we should be the ones to bring in the fun. Whatever it is that inspires joy in our lives, we should use it to spark the fun in everything that we do.
Brendon shares that part of his profession is to talk to business leaders who have the weight of their entire company on their shoulders. These bosses often have to deal with the most tensed of situations.
To help ease the tension, Brendon says he makes it a point to walk into to any room with most positive, buoyant, and focused attitude. His goal is to bring joy into the situation. He wants to be the one to bring light into whatever darkness that his clients might be in.
This isn’t to say that Brendon himself doesn’t experience his own darkness, such as doubt, delay, or distractions in his life. He’s just more focused on his goal to have fun, no matter what.
4. Be patient but persistent in everything you do
Another one of Brendon’s rules for a great life calls on people to be patient but persistent at whatever it is that they set out to do.
Social media has made it easier for us to feel insecure about our lives. Whenever we see other people getting promoted, travelling the world, getting married, and having a successful business, we tend to think, “Why isn’t this happening to me?”
The truth is, we all have different timelines. Our lives might not be progressing as fast as we would like them to be. Or we might not be getting ahead in life as fast as we would like to be. But we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves because of it.
Brendon urges us to give ourselves the patience and allowance to do a good job. We shouldn’t let ourselves get too caught up with the idea of hurrying things along.
The author believes the worst behaviours and vices of people come as a result of rushing through life. These individuals are often more interested in getting an immediate payoff rather than appreciating the journey.
Instead of resenting the struggles we face, we should learn to honour them. We need to stay disciplined and focused on doing things the right way because they will lead to success.
Another critical element is staying persistent with our goals. Brendon says being patient means we allow time to take place as we set certain things in our lives. We allow the universe to line with our desires and our dreams.
However, this doesn’t mean that we should stop doing the things that we need to do. We should also be persistent in our actions as well as we are patient. It’s about continuing to work towards our goals while also accepting that some things in our lives are where they should be.
Ultimately, we should be persistent with our dreams but patient with ourselves.
5. Love and respect others
Everybody we meet in life is playing the same game as us. We’re all trying to do the best we can. The key to having a great life is being able to love and respect others since we’re all pretty much the same.
Brendon believes it’s standard rule in life to love and respect other people. Not only are they critical to our own happiness, but they also play a role in our own destiny.
The author says he takes all the divine energy around him and he amplifies and shares it to other people. He even considers himself as a big vessel of good vibes for human beings.
Brendon also talks about the importance of being respectful of others. This is one of the most important rules of life. He defines tolerance as letting other people have their own voice and experience and being OK with it.
We should learn to be accepting, understanding, empathetic, sympathetic, passionate, and kind to others. To Brendon, these are the things that make up the zest of life.
Teaching our children the rules for a great life
There’s no cheat code for child-rearing. Parents can only do so much to help their kids grow up as well as they could. But as long as we stay true to our personal morals and values, we’ll have something meaningful to impart to our children. Brendon’s five rules for a great life will also help you and your children live a meaningful life.
Our kids should see how we accept and honour our struggles in life. That despite all of the challenges we still continue on and don’t give up. So that when it’s time for them to face their own struggles, our children will know whom to look up for inspiration.
