Who Will Cry When You Die\?: Life Lessons From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari pdfdrive com

74.
Create a Daily Code of Conduct
It is easy to live your life like a leaf in the fall wind, moving in whatever
direction the wind blows that day. To create a great life, you must live more
intentionally, deliberately and passionately so that you live on your own terms
rather than on someone else’s. The real challenge is that with so much to do, it is
easy to allow life to act on you and watch the days quickly slip into weeks, then
into months and finally into years. But I have a solution.
In my own life I have created what I call my Daily Code of Conduct. It is
simply three paragraphs containing the values, virtues and vows I have
determined through much reflection that I need to live by in order for my life to
be a fulfilling one. For example, part of the first paragraph states, “Over the next
twenty-four hours I vow to appreciate this day, as it is all I really have, and to
use every minute wisely and fully. So much can be done over the next twenty-
four hours to advance my life’s agenda and complete my legacy. I will,
throughout this day, remember that this day could be my last and that no great
person ever died with their music still within them.” My code then outlines my
dearest values and vows as they relate to my family, my community and myself.
Reading my Daily Code of Conduct at the very beginning of the day, during
the “Base Camp” period I described in an earlier lesson, reminds me of the
things that matter most in my life and reconnects me to my highest priorities,
priorities that are so easily forgotten in the blur of daily events. After reading my
code, I feel energized, committed and ready to go out into the world with a
renewed sense of purpose and focus. Creating your own Daily Code of Conduct
will do the same for you.

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75.
Imagine a Richer Reality
Albert Camus once wrote, “In the midst of winter, I found there was within me
an invincible summer.” We really don’t discover how powerful and resilient we
are until we face some adversity that fills our minds with stress and our hearts
with pain. Then we realize that we all have within us the courage and the
capacity to handle even the greatest curves life may throw our way.
Many of the men and women who attend my leadership seminars come to
me after the session and reveal the challenges they face in their lives. Some
speak of difficulties they have motivating their employees in these uncertain
times. Others speak of inner longings and the need to find a greater sense of
meaning and fulfillment through their work. And still others ask me for advice
on how to restore balance within their personal lives. My response always begins
with the same lesson: to improve your life, you must first improve your thinking.
Or as the old saying goes, “We see the world, not as it is but as we are.”
Our greatest human endowment is the ability to reframe and reinterpret a
difficult circumstance in a more enlightened and empowering way. Dogs cannot
do this. Cats cannot do this. Monkeys cannot do this. This gift belongs only to us
and is part of what makes us human. Blaming our circumstances for the way we
feel is nothing more than excusing ourselves. In handling any problem, we must
have the courage to assume a measure of responsibility for whatever situation we
are in and then realize that we also have the capacity to use the setback to our
advantage. Life’s greatest setbacks always reveal life’s biggest blessings.

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