10 RULES I LIVE BY

Life has felt really busy as of late. It seems like every week I attempt to encourage myself by saying, “Ok, after this week things will finally settle down!”. Unfortunately, I lie to myself every single week, because the roll just never seems to slow. Time just seems to be flying by, and truth be told, the hustle and bustle is kind of starting to beat my down. I am feeling a little overrun, a little overburdened, and downright cranky! With no end to the fast lane in sight, I am grasping at straws attempting to find some sort of structure to save my angry soul.

As I was pondering how to find calm in my whirlwind of a schedule, I started to think about when I feel the most in control. I realized, once again, that I am a pretty structured person, and that I have some sure-fire ways to get me through the craziness. You know what I’m talking about! The never-wavering, reliable, Facts-Of-Life-As-Told-By-Me that help you to feel a little more in control of the train. So, I decided to create, “10 Rules I Live By”, to help remind myself that even on the fast track I have some sway.

1. Mama Knows Best

How is it that one person can somehow always be right? Whether it is giving me advice, encouraging me to better, making me see the beauty in myself, or just great style taste, Mama is always right. It brings me so much comfort to know that when I turn to her, she always points me in the right direction. Even when I am stubborn as a mule, and don’t want to hear her words of wisdom, she shares them anyway, because she loves me. She always has my best intentions in mind, and somehow, she manages to pull off

never being wrong. Like ever.

2. A Run Can Fix Anything

When the anger has reached its boiling point, or the stress has brought me to the verge of tears, running can fix it all. There is just something about pushing your body to the limit and feeling all of those emotions bleed out on the pavement. It is an indescribable form of relief. I have had some of my best runs over the past few weeks, and I am so grateful for each and every one.

3. Hard Work Is a Great Distraction

I used to believe quite the opposite! Many a pity party was thrown in my bedroom, and it literally never helped. With the help of Mamma Mia (refer to rule number 1), I was able to see that getting to work, even if the work you are doing isn’t related to your problem, always brings peace of mind. Sometimes it is a much-needed distraction, sometimes it is an energy burner, and sometimes it is an opportunity to receive an answer to prayer. All I know is, I feel much better knowing I got something accomplished, rather than burying my sorrows in ice cream.

4. Laughter Is the Best Medicine

I cannot tell you how many times I have dreaded going to Youth after a long, hard day, and yet I manage to come away from it so flippin’ happy. Those girls can make me laugh like NO OTHER. They always replace my frowns with smiles, and remind me that life is meant to be joyful, silly, and grand. I can only hope that I help them to feel as happy as they make me.

5. Charity Is Not Just For Others

This a lesson I just recently learned during scripture study. I had always assumed that when we referred to the pure love of Christ, it was meant towards those around us. Showing others compassion, as He did, serving them, as He did, crying with them, as He does. However, we also need to show charity towards ourselves. I easily get caught up in the “I’m horrible” and “Why can’t I be better?” frame of mind, and that is not what Christ thinks AT ALL. Christ has seen me at my all-time worst, and He still thinks I am an amazing Daughter of God with loads of potential. When I repent of my mistakes, He forgives me, and remembers them no more. When there is an area of myself I want to improve on, He is right beside me, cheering me on, not making me feel small when I fail. We all need to take a step back, remember who we are, and love ourselves as Christ loves us.

6. Sneakers Go With Everything

Jeans and a tees best friend? Sneakers. Want to make a dress everyday-caus? Sneakers. Want to feel cute and comfortable? Sneakers. Despite living in South Eastern New Mexico, I will always choose sneakers over flip flops, even in the dead of summer. Don’t try to sway me, you will not succeed. Rocking my favorite pair of sneaks almost always helps to put me in a good mood.

7. The Scriptures Bring Comfort

This is a rule I established when I was at BYU. At the time, I was seriously contemplating coming home early to mooch off of my parents (some may say that I am doing that right now 😉), because I just felt there was no way I could make it through the semester. As I sat in my dorm room, feeling lost, alone, and afraid, I pulled out my scriptures to study for my Book of Mormon class. As the familiar scripture stories filled my mind, I could not believe the comforting feeling of home that overcame me. I still felt overwhelmed and lost, but I also felt a little less homesick. To this day when I wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, or I feel overwhelmed with all of the tasks I have to complete, I try my best to remember to turn to the scriptures. They always bring me peace, comfort, guidance, and help me to put things back into perspective.

8. Making Your Bed Makes You Feel Like You Have Your Life Together

When I was on my mission, our mission was held to the standard of making sure our bed was made every morning. Being the rule follower that I am, I made sure to complete the assigned task every morning, even though I didn’t completely understand the reasoning behind it. A couple of years down the road, I totally get it. It is such a simple, every day chore, that doesn’t seem to carry much weight to it, but it is a total attitude changer. Making my bed gives me a little area of my life that I can control and provides me with the illusion that I am an adequate conductor of the crazy train. Plus, it is just so much more comfy to crawl into a made bed, rather than an un-made bed.

9. Cheat Meals Are A Must

I’d say I am a pretty health conscious person, I mean, I gotta make sure that my body is properly fueled for all of those rage-filled runs. However, once a week I let myself eat a meal of my choice. Whether it be something super deep fried, or overly cheesy pasta, once a week I step out of my overly rigid schedule, and live on the edge of life. I am never going to be perfect in my nutritional habits, but scheduling in a cheat-meal each week keeps me accountable, humble, and happy.

I mean, come on. Sometimes, you just need some chocolate.

10. Happiness Is A Choice

This is a rule that I am constantly having to remind myself of. To some extent, we can choose how our day is going to go. We can choose to let the little, every day annoyances ruin our day, or we can brush ourselves off, blast our favorite songs, and choose to look for the joy. With the name of my blog, it is quite obvious that 85% of the time I am disobedient to my own rule. However, I have found that as I choose to be obedient to it, there is so much more peace in my life. Actively choosing to find the good in miniscule, every day moments is a game changer that has such a domino effect. Not only do I find myself happier in that moment, I am less quick to anger, more willing to serve, and feel closer to my Heavenly Father. Choosing to find the happy not only makes me happier, it makes me a better me.

So, there are 10 Rules I Live By. These are some of the guidelines that help me to feel grounded when the storms of life come, and I am oh so grateful for them. They have truly been my saving graces over the past couple of months, and I am not sure I would have survived without them. After reflecting on my own Facts of Life, it makes me curious, what are 10 rules that you live by?