Patsy Terrell's Rules for Living

For more than a decade, I have had "Patsy's Rules for Living." These are the top ten guiding principles for my life. This is a fluid document, meaning it changes periodically - generally at least once a year.

I developed this after much soul searching and considerable effort. I wanted to distill my core beliefs into a simple document. I think someone who reads this has an idea of the kind of person I am.

I also think this sort of document helps people make decisions. When a friend called and asked if I wanted to go to Honduras, my immediate answer was, "Yes, absolutely!" My number one rule for living then and now is to "seek" so it was clear that I would want to go to a country I had not previously visited. There was no, "well, let me think about it," because I knew I wanted to seek new places and ideas.

I encourage everone to list their own rules. It's more that you're defining them than creating them. Naturally, yours would be different than mine. It's an enlightening process and well worth the effort.

Patsy’s Rules for Living
by Patsy Terrell - updated March 20, 2008

1. Seek. New people. New places. New things. New ideas.

2. Question. Question everything. The world was never flat.

3. Decide, do and don’t look back. To finish you must begin. Don't look back with regret - it's a waste of time and energy.

4. Be happy. You have no right to be anything else. You are blessed. Appreciate it. Do what makes you happy as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

5. Know your place. When you have lost your way you must return to something that is a constant to get your bearings again. When you know how you fit into the world, outside forces cannot affect you.

6. Let it go, let it be, let it lie. Nobody is living in a Norman Rockwell painting. Everyone has had difficulty and keeping your memory vivid about yours isn’t going to do you or anyone else any good.

7. Live with abandon. Don't fail because you did something halfway. Life is fleeting. Soak it up. Give in to your whims.

8. Live in the moment. Don't borrow sorrow from tomorrow and don't let yesterday take up too much of today.

9. Speak the truth. The truth can always be spoken. It can be spoken with kindness, but it can always be spoken.

10. Blame Nothing. Forgive Everything. Be Thankful.