Customer Reviews

The Rules of Life: A Personal Code for Living a Better, Happier, More Successful Life

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book of 100 so called Rules of Life is divided into four sections:-

Rule 1-50 Rules for you
Rule 51-66 Partnership Rules
Rule 67-92 Social Rules
Rule 93-100 World Rules

Section 1 is okay, so most of my favorite passages below are copied from it. However, the other sections are quite so so.
Quoted from pg xiii, coincidentally my comment of this book, "What you will find is good old fashioned common sense. There is nothing here you dont already know. This book isnt a revelation. It's a reminder. It reminds you that the Rules of Life are universal, obvious, simple. Do them. They work."

In short, if you are a regular reader of self help book, I doubt whether you will find it interesting. If not, please check some of my favorite "Rules" for your consideration as Amazon had not posted its content page.

10. Only dead fish swim with the stream (and that's what life is, what it's meant to be; a series of struggles and lulls
11. Be the last to raise your voice (shout here, argument weak)
12. No fear, no surprise, no hesitation, no doubt
14. I wish I'd done that, and I will (the world is divided into those who look at others enviously and those who look at others as a motivational tool
15. Count to ten, or recite God Bless me (once I have collected my wits and calm down, I can find an appropriate response)
17. Failing is fine. Aiming for second best isnt.
19. Dont dwell in the past (Live here. Live now. Live in this moment)
28. Life can be a bit like advertising (and you dont know which bits of effort comes the best reward)
44. Staying young (trying out new tastes, new places to go, new styles)
47. Only the good feel guilty
50. If you cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all.
56. Go that extra step in trying to please them
87. Get involved (rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty but having a real experience along the way)

One only needs to do a superficial search of the Blogsphere to find literally hundreds of self improvement sites, showing us how to become better, healthier, organized individuals - improved workers, lovers, husbands, wives, bosses, and employees - kinder, giving and generally much happier human beings. Most of these SI blogs are very well written and informative, some containing a few gems. In this international bestseller, (certainly a treasure trove of gems) Templar has distilled a vast amount of information for self improvement into simple, easy to read and follow `rules' to live our lives in the most optimum way possible. The author asks us to join the ranks of "...those that follow the rules everyday." These people, he says,

"... choose to do certain things every day of [their] lives. Some things we do will make us unhappy and some things we choose to do will make us happier. By observing people, I have reasoned that if we follow a few basic `Rules of Life' we tend to get more done, shrug off adversity more easily, get more out of life and spread a little happiness around us as we go."

The key to Templar's `rules', I believe, is to recognize bad habits and create new habits to replace them, thereby contributing productively to our health and general well being. Our decisions no matter how inconsequential or seemingly important, and our on-going behaviour towards others and particularly ourselves, determine our general happiness. In the end, however, it all comes down to a matter of choice. It is really about how we choose to respond to the world.

One can hear echoes of Existentialism and Stoicism in this little manual - gleaning aspects of both philosophies, constructing a simple guide for the modern human being to change conditions in life.

As Templar states in his introduction, "What you find is good old-common sense. There is nothing new here you don't already know. This book is not a revelation, but a reminder." How true this is after I read the book to find basic actions and attitudes that somehow have been lost over time, forgotten, so simple yet appearing so hard when remembered, but essential to our best possible feelings and actions in our day to day lives.

The book is structured into general chapters on a specific theme, such as "Rules for You", "Family and Friend Rules" and "Social Rules" to then break down these themes into basic `rules' to practice, turn into habits, and hopefully live by. For example, my personal favourites:

Accept yourself.
Be on the side of the angels, not the beasts.
Be the last to raise your voice.
Change what you can change, let go of the rest.
Aim to be the very best at everything you do - not second best.
Have a belief system.
Dress like today is important.
Have dignity.
Only the good feel guilty.
Treat your partner better than your best friend.

Again, common sense advice that one has heard before, but has somehow forgotten, or has simply not considered putting into practice.

I like this book because the chapters are only two pages in length and written well. Templar's sense of humour, however, can be a little lame, but he means well. Other than this minor quibble, this book is a little treasure.

A firm 4 stars.

This book is fantastic!!! It helped me a lot in understanding what things are worth doing in life, how time should be spent, and how to treat myself and others. Most of the rules written in the book are of common sense, but since we tend to lose this valuable knowledge during adulthood, is good to be reminded of them.

I just happened to saw this book at a book store one day, decided to open it up. I could not put it down ended up buying them. I take it with me everywhere I go, I also bought me a scond copy to carry it in my car. This is exactly what I needed......for me personally, it was an instructional manual for a life in easy page to page step by step style which makes totally easy to read, and master these rules. The author had also responded to me kindly and I had a chance to tell him how much I appreciated his book. I did not thin he would reply to me..............I am reading it everyday, I am memorizing it, and applying it everyday. This book opened up my life. Because I did not have any direction, and confused with my action until then. Better than Bible.

This is a very good book indeed. I found it stimulating, interesting, informative and, best of all, encouraging. It made me feel good about myself and forgiving toward others. I liked the style in which it is written - light, friendly. It is a very good book that should be on the shelf of everyone who wants 110% out of their life without having to buy into anyone else's philosophy - Mr Templar lets us make up our own mind about how we live - it's all down to the choices we make.
An excellent book.

Many pick up this book because of the title "Rules of life" and wonder what revelation this book brings. I found that the author has done a superb job. There is nothing extraordinary about any of the 100 rules in the book. The extraordinary thing is his ability to compile centuries old wisdom into an organised book. Although many of the rules are just an extension of the earlier rules, compliment has to be given to Richard Templar.

A reader could have 4 gains reading this book:

1. Serves as a reminder to life lessons
It serves as a reminder to what your mother, grandparents have told you. You are likely to be more receptive that these are read up by yourself now. Besides you pay so likelihood that you will start some discipline. {This world is ironic. When something is free (from your parents and grandparents) we tend to ignore or even challenge it until we pay yourself}.

2. Organisational skills in writing
Organisational skills in writing could be picked up from this book. You must have always faced the difficulties of putting thousands of idea into words. See how Richard has extended one idea into several rules and how he does not clutter his points.

3. Following the latest trends
Following the latest trends in fashion, news, investments have been publicly known. However, reading trends has just taken its footage in recent years. In this 21st century, we were too busy with too many temptation and look for rules to everything possible. This has bring about the latest trend in email writing, business report writing, fitness building. This book is part of the latest hot property in the reading world and it will help you connect yourself with other avid readers.

4. Words of widsom?
Words of wisdom have always being a good stepping stone in one's career. If you are perceived to be full of them, you are likely to be looked up. Use the rules here to your advantage.

Personally I use this book as a reference to see where I stand and it seems that I already have these rules integrated into my daily life before then. So is my reading a waste of my time? Well, the readings help me with the 4 gains that I mentioned earlier.

Try out the book and see for yourself! If you are already a well disciplined person, you know you are after reading. Otherwise, you could join us soon after reading. One word of advice be flexible. No rule is perfect. Be flexible to use them in your daily routine.

I have read and reread this book, and I find myself using this book as a constant source of motivation and redirection towards the positive. This book is well constructed and written in a way that engages the reader to want to read more. The simple ideas contained in the "rules of life" will inspire some pretty deep thoughts concerning how you live your life and react to your surroundings.
I have taken to writing notes in the margins of the book, and when I re-read the rule I find myself getting a deeper understanding of how these rules play an important role in my life. When you come right down to it, all self-help literature explains how to recognize and overcome negative or destructive behaviors in our life. Templar helps explain how following "rules" will help you gain control over some of the more taxing events in your life. Templar uses very basic ideas and then explains how following these ideas enables you to gain understanding. A simple idea can take you into some very complex self interpretation.
This book will start you on a journey of self discovery that will help carry you beyond the selfish, destructive life style that many of us lead. After reading this book, I have recognized the negative, repetative behavior in my life and now try to follow the "rules" to overcome this behavior.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to start themselves on a road of self improvement.

This book has a healthy dose of common sense spooned out in useable chunks. As I read through the book I did not learn anything new or unique but it did help in that all the rules are categorized in succinct useable chunks. Most of us I suspect will be familiar with the rules but the beauty of this book is that it gives one a focus on what really matters. A handy tool. Of course the hard part is practicing the rules. If only that were easy...ah ... if only..

Hey All,

Do read this book.. Its will help you a lot to achieve happiness and success.

Cheers!

Sharmila

This book is loaded with inspiration and common sense. "The Rules of Life: A Personal Code for Living a Better, Happier, More Successful Life", by Richard Templar, is divided into the following parts; (1) Rules For You, (2) Partnership Rules, (3) Family And Friends Rules, (4) Social Rules, (5) World Rules.

The author lists 100 rules that can help you live a happier and more successful life. The chapters are short and the book is a fast read. The challenging part is to process this information and put the rules to work in your life.

The very first rule is a tough one for me. Rule #1: "Keep It Under Your Hat." I am terrible at keeping secrets. The author advises the reader to keep the changes that you are making in your life as a result of reading this book to yourself; "Don't preach, propagate, try to convert, shout from the rooftops or even mention this ... just get on with it, do it quietly, and go about your daily life happily and smugly without having to tell anyone anything". So, I have already broken the first rule by writing this book review.

This is the kind of book that should be used as a handbook for growth. The author does not promote religious doctrine but he emphasizes that it is vital to have a belief system and to keep the faith. The rules for marriage are excellent and a gentle reminder to "treat your partner better than your best friend." The rules for family life will remind you that "there are no bad children" and "your children need to rebel to leave home."

The dedication of the book features the following phrase; "No Fear ~ No Surprise ~ No Hesitation ~ No Doubt." This book will give you a kickstart for the new year. You don't have to worry about writing your new year's resolutions ~ Just resovle to be a "rules player" in the new year.

I grabbed this book when it was offered as a free download on my Kindle 3. I listened to most of this book as we travelled to our Thanksgiving destination. I love the fact that every book is also an audio book on the Kindle.