My Ten Personal Commandments

The other day I was browsing on the internet, and I discovered a writing prompt about creating a list of ten personal commandments. The idea was not to replace the original commandments in the Bible, but rather to examine my own conscience and write down my own ideas. With this in mind I thought about my own ten commandments in no specific order of importance:

1. Never stop learning.

2. Accept responsibility for my own mistakes and forgive others for their mistakes.

3. Respect other people’s culture and beliefs.

4. Respect nature and be kind to animals.

5. Honor and be faithful to my country.

6. Meditate in the morning and say prayers at night.

7. Remember to trust God in all circumstances.

8. Trust my abilities while recognizing my limitations.

9. Be self-reliant but accept help from others when needed.

10. Be respectful of others in my daily life.

The tenth personal commandment is important because it’s something I really need to work on improving. It includes not judging others and trying to belittle them with sarcasm in order to get attention. It also includes not gossiping about others in private and publicly. By recognizing all these things as essentially bad habits, I can work on having respect for others in my life.

The second personal commandment that needs some discussion has to do with me accepting responsibility for my thoughts and actions, while at the same time, forgiving others. Instead of blaming others and circumstances for my errors, I need to own up to them, while also being forgiving of others to the point of forgetting about their mistakes when possible.

The seventh commandment - remembering to always trust God - can be difficult for me when things aren’t going well or if I’m struggling with some health issue. When things are going badly, I complain and worry when I should realize that everything will work out for the best. It’s those times I need to realize that God is testing my patience, courage and perseverance and that eventually I will see the purpose of my challenges. So, in reality suffering is actually grace.

My eighth personal commandment is important because sometimes I can be unrealistic about my abilities. There is a saying that reads “jump and a net will appear.” In my experience that doesn’t always happen. So although it’s important to live up to my potential, it’s not good to be reckless. In the past, it has sometimes led to mental illness.

The third personal commandment about respecting other cultures, together with the fifth commandment about loving my country, seems simple enough but are difficult to follow. Thoughts of prejudice and cultural superiority have a way of creating nationalism that can lead to conflict. Being faithful to my own country while acknowledging its problems, I still need to respect other countries. Lasting peace in the world starts with mutual respect

My personal commandments are ideas I have learned to accept and have tried to follow. There are other commandants I could have included on this list. Becoming more patient, having compassion and overcoming anger and pride are a few. They are also very relevant to my beliefs about being a better person. Like my ten personal commandments, I still must work on these in order to achieve my goals for self-improvement.

I found that writing down some of my principles in the form of commandments has helped me to crystallize my thinking about life and brought my attention to goals I need to practice.

Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletters. They continue to give me a sense of purpose and make me happy. See you next week!

(Please remember these are my own ideas, and I’m not attempting to persuade anyone to change theirs.)

“Be yourself. Accept your likes and dislikes. You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.” Medical Economics

“Let it go - Remember how little most things mean in the long run.” Medical Economics

“Keep your face always toward the sunlight- and shadows fall behind you.” Walt Whitman

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