Rules for Being Human
Cherie Carter-Scott

  
There are several versions of this available online and in print, several with different wording; a couple of people take credit for it, but the original version is by Cherie Carter-Scott, and it's available in her book, If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules.   A couple of derivative (or plagiarized) versions are included below this one.

1.  You will receive a body.  You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.

2.  You will learn lessons.  You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “life.”

3.  There are no mistakes, only lessons.  Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation.  The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”

4.  Lessons are repeated until they are learned.  A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it.  When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5.  Learning lessons does not end.  There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons.  If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

6.  “There” is no better a place than “here.”  When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7.  Other people are merely mirrors of you.  You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8.  What you make of your life is up to you.  You have all the tools and resources you need.  What you do with them is up to you.  The choice is yours.

9.  Your answers lie within you.  The answers to life’s questions lie within you.  All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10.  You will forget all this.  You can remember it if you want by unraveling the double helix of inner-knowing.
Version Two:

When you were born, you didn't come with an owner's manual; these guidelines make life work better.

1.  You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's the only thing you are sure to keep for the rest of your life.

2.  You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called "Life on Planet Earth."  Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher.

3.  There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation. "Failures" are as much a part of the process as "success."

4.  A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it--then you can go on to the next lesson.

5.  If you don't learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state. When you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. Pain is how the universe gets your attention.

6.  You will know you've learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice. A little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

7.  "There" is no better than "here."  When your "there" becomes a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that again looks better than "here."

8.  Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

9.  Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting. Take charge of your life--or someone else will.

10.  You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what energies, experiences, and people you attract -- therefore, the only foolproof way to know what you want is to see what you have. There are no victims, only students.

11.  There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences. Moralizing doesn't help. Judgments only hold the patterns in place. Just do your best.

12.  Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature, we trust our hearts, where the Laws of Spirit are written. You know more than you have heard or read or been told. All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.

13.  You will forget all this.

14.  You can remember any time you wish.

You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time school called "Life on Planet Earth." Every person and incident is your teacher.

There are no mistakes--only lessons. "Failures" are the stepping stones to "success."

A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented in various forms until you learn it--then you go to the next lesson.

If you don't learn easy lessons, they get harder. Pain is one way the universe gets your attention.

You'll know you've learned a lesson when your actions change. Only action turns knowledge to wisdom.

"There" is no better than "here."  When your "there" becomes a "here" you'll find another "there" that again looks better than "here."

Others are only mirrors.
You can only love or hate something in another that reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

Your life is up to you.  Life provides the canvas; you do the painting.

Your answers lie inside you.  All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.

You'll tend to forget all this.

You can remember anytime you wish.

  


 
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My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.

     

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