Book Summary: If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

This #1 New York Times bestseller offers some useful and understandable advice that can be applied to many situations. The idea of life as a series of lessons can help to put things into perspective and add to anyone's ability to deal with setbacks and reach their full potential.

Rule one - You will receive a body Acceptance or rejection of your body only carries weight in your own mind, and your perception has no bearing on how your body actually looks, so why not choose the ease of acceptance rather than the pain of rejection? The choice is yours.

Rule two - You will be presented with lessons Each day in the school of life you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn, whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you. See these lessons as gifts, or guides along your path toward living as your authentic self.

Rule three - There are no mistakes, only lessons Growth is a process of experimentation, a series of trials, errors, victories and setbacks. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that work. Without lessons, it is difficult to convert mistakes into valuable learning opportunities.

Rule four - A lesson is repeated until learned Lessons will be repeated to you in various forms until you have learned them. When you have learned them, you can then go on to the next lesson.

Rule five - Learning does not end Your journey on earth is constantly unfolding, and while your wisdom grows and your capacity to deal with challenges expands, new lessons will present themselves. Lessons will be around as long as you live.

Rule six - There is no better than here This rule encourages you to live fully in the present. When your 'there' has become a 'here', you will simply obtain a there that will look better to you than your present here. Live in the 'here and now'. Avoid the continuous cycle of longing.

Rule seven - Others are only mirrors of you You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. See the qualities that you admire in others as characteristics that you have already embraced in yourself, allow them to illuminate more clearly your own feelings of self-worth.

Rule eight - What you make of your life is up to you You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.

Rule nine - Your answers lie inside of you All you need to do is look, listen and trust. Many answers to life's problems are available by trusting your intuition and listening to the 'little voices' in your head.

Rule ten - You will forget all of this at birth Create ways to find your way back to your truth when you forget. Surround yourself with people who know your personal truth and are familiar with your authentic self. They can help keep you rooted.

Key thoughts:

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because characte is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." -John Wooden, college basketball coach

"Although they only give gold medals in the field of athletics, I encourage everyone to look into themselves and find their own personal dream, whatever that may be - sports, medicine, law, business, music, writing, whatever. The same principles apply. Turn your dream into a goal and learn how to attack that goal systematically. Break it into bite-size chunks that seem possible, and then don't give up. Just keep plugging away." - John Naber, swimmer, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist

By: Regine Azurin

Regine Azurin is the President of BestSummaries.com, a company that provides book summaries of the latest motivational, inspirational, self-help and personality development bestsellers.

http://www.bestsum.com Free Book Summaries of Top Self-help, Motivational and Inspirational books

Mailto: freearticle@bestsum.com BestSummaries is a BestSummaries.com service. (c) Copyright 2004, BestSummaries.com

---

Self Determination - Making the Most Out of You

Breaking the mold of being a child is difficult. The mere addition of years does not make that happen. The dependency many adults choose, in fact, keeps... Read More

Are You Lacking Self-Discipline? - Part 1

A man does not live until he begins to discipline himself; he merely exists. Like an animal he gratifies his desires and pursues his inclinations just where... Read More

Resistance Is Natural - but Not Helpful - in Times of Change

Here are five feelings we all experience in changing times. Check these out for yourself by thinking about times when you were experiencing significant life change, either... Read More

Know your Mission

One passage states "If you want to defeat them, distract them." Another reads "divide and conquer."In the game of life there is a constant battle raging within... Read More

Procrastinator No More!

Procrastination is when ever we postpone a task or duty intentionally without a valuable explanation. It is a natural tendency in people. Let's face it, sometimes we... Read More

Quick Tips On Getting Motivated When You Dont Feel Like It

The secret to getting started on something when you don't feel like it, is surprising, but easy.Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who... Read More

No, Fear! The Success is Yours (1)

Fear is the minds great mortal sin.And isn't it just at times when you have to risk something, that you Fear? Think about it! You've had a... Read More

Motivation By An Audience

Sooner or later, if you keep working hard in a focused way on a skill or project, you will have an audience even if it is an... Read More

What Gets Your Ass Out Of Bed?

Beep. Beep. Beep. 5:51 am. The alarm is once again bringing my warm, cozy dream filled sleep to an end. Time to get up and take a... Read More

Motivation - How to Design a Life

"Have you ever felt like you've become the worst possible version of yourself?" - Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail"Have you ever been relaxing at the movies,... Read More

Fear Emotions - Positive or Negative?

What is fear's purpose? How do you handle it? While I am working in my pest control business, I meet people on an almost daily basis who... Read More

Ignite Your Life!

Where have you come from this past year? What have you accomplished? Don't like the answers? Wish you had better ones, more fulfilling ones? You can -... Read More

The Missing Piece

Have you ever tried putting a puzzle together, only to get to the end and discover that a piece is missing? You anxiously put the puzzle together,... Read More

Nurturing Your Vision

There is a new television show, called Blind Justice that will be replacing NYPD Blue. The show follows a Detective who, at the prime of his life... Read More

How to Overcome Procrastination in 4 Simple Steps

If procrastination is holding you back in life, these 4 simple steps are a sure way to help you overcome your endless struggle with procrastination. You'll soon... Read More

What Does Your Future Hold? Do You Have A Plan? Or Are You Just Waiting To See What Happens?

We often find ourselves in a situation in which we either accept the change that someone else imposes upon us or in which we ourselves effect the... Read More

Full Steam Ahead, Just Dont Go Off Half Cocked!

Do you do things that you don't want to do? Do you not do things that you do want to do? Do you find every reason in... Read More

Discover How to Stay Motivated and Be Successful

If you surveyed 50 people asking each their definition of success, chances are you would receive fifty different answers. Even so, there are certain steps everyone must... Read More

The 31 Absolute Best Resources for Self Improvement

Every week, I hear from people with the same Self Improvement questions: Where should I go for help? What should I do? Who should I listen to?This... Read More

A Resolution for Excellence

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - AristotleJanuary is typically the time of year when we pledge ourselves... Read More

What Is Failing Forward?

What an absurd statement! Absurd or not, progress is not possible without failure. It is part of being an evolving and growing human being.Failing forward is about... Read More

Beyond Procrastination ? 8 Questions To Ask Yourself

Why am I constantly putting things off? Why don't I do the things I'm "supposed" to do, but don't really want to? Why do I always seem... Read More

Making the Most of Now

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward... Read More

Storytelling - The Great Motivator of People

In a data-driven world, facts and figures are the order of the day in sales calls, employee meetings, board rooms, and political assemblies. Traditionally, when a person... Read More

How to Take Your Stalled Projects to the Finish Line

Q. I have several projects going at once -- but I never seem to finish them! I'm pulled in so many different directions -- and I end... Read More

Three Simple Ways to Stay Focused

While I was trying to find a subject to write about this month that would be of interest to my readers, I did many things with my... Read More