You don’t build a secure house in the middle of quicksand; you need a solid base on which to build. The same holds for managing stress–the more solid the base on which you build, the more readily you position yourself to maintain control.

Here I am at what could be my midpoint in life. Here is a base, a set of observations, about life in general, upon which you can build. May you have less stress and a better life.

Jeff’s Hard and Fast Rules of Life

1. You are born and you receive a physical shell–your body. It may be strong or weak. It may support you or cause unending problems. Still, it’s what you have to work with.
2. Someone will raise you, well or poorly, whether it’s your parents or surrogate parents. Yet, you got to be where you are today.
3. You will have many experiences in life, some joyful, some frightening, some profound, and most, forgettable. Many will come from trial and error. Lessons will derive from teachers, mentors, and peers. All experiences and lessons, even the bad ones, have some value.
4. The brains and skills you were given at birth, plus what you’ve added to your repertoire, are sufficient to successfully see you through to the end of your days, if you will but put these to use.
5. Youth passes quickly. So does young adulthood. It happens to everyone. No regrets if you’ve squandered some of your youth. You have a long time to go. Make the best of it.
6. Growth is part of the human experience. Early in life, you grow taller. Later, you try not to grow wider. Everyone needs to grow–emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually. In general, stagnation is your only problem.
7. Your productive work life is finite. Change is guaranteed. Staying productive in the face of ever-increasing change becomes a major challenge. Don’t worry, everybody is facing the same thing.
8. While you’re still breathing, there is more to learn, more experiences to process, more lessons to complete. You never do get to graduate; you never actually arrive. You simply get to a resting place for a little while, and then move on. Be especially careful whenever you think you’ve arrived. Enjoy the process.
9. Life is finite, so you can only choose a handful of life priorities. If you have a couple dozen priorities, paradoxically, they can’t all be priorities. For some, choosing priorities is easy. For others, it takes courage and discipline. Either way, you can only have a few priorities.
10. As you thinketh, so shall the world be. If you regard the world as a beautiful place, it will show up as beautiful. If you think society is going to hell in a hand basket, then hand baskets postmarked for hell will appear.
11. The little voice–the one you keep ignoring–has some great ideas. Don’t be afraid of instinct or intuition. You have most of the answers you need right inside of you.
12. Over the course of your 20,000 to 28,000 days, most of what transpires in your life is the result of choices you make. Yes, occasionally stuff happens from out of left field. Mostly, you make the choices that impact your life.