Have a Happy Life and Healthy Relationships (Collection)

Richard Templar is an astute observer of human behavior and understands what makes the difference between those of us who effortlessly glide towards success and those of us who struggle against the tide. He has distilled these observations into his Rules titles. More than 1 million people around the world have enjoyed and now play by Richard Templar's Rules.

The Rules of Life

 

Introduction     viii

Part I Rules for You     1

1  Keep It Under Your Hat     4

2  You’ll Get Older But Not Necessarily Wiser     6

3  Accept What Is Done Is Done     8

4  Accept Yourself     10

5  Know What Counts and What Doesn’t     12

6  Dedicate Your Life to Something     14

7  Be Flexible in Your Thinking     16

8  Take an Interest in the Outside World     18

9  Be on the Side of the Angels, Not the Beasts     20

10  Only Dead Fish Swim with the Stream     22

11  Be the Last to Raise Your Voice     24

12  Be Your Own Adviser     26

13  No Fear, No Surprise, No Hesitation, No Doubt     28

14  I Wish I’d Done That--and I Will     30

15  It’s OK to Give Up     32

16  Count to Ten--or Recite “Baa Baa Black Sheep”     34

17  Change What You Can Change; Let Go of the Rest     36

18  Aim to Be the Very Best at Everything You Do--Not Second Best     38

19  Don’t Expect to Be Perfect     40

20  Don’t Be Afraid to Dream     42

21  If You’re Going to Jump Off a Bridge, Make Sure You Know How Deep the Water Is     44

22  Don’t Dwell on the Past     46

23  Don’t Live in the Future     48

24  Get on With Life--It’s Whooshing Past     50

25  Be Consistent     52

26  Dress Like Today Is Important     54

27  Have a Belief System     56

28  Leave a Little Space for Yourself Each Day     58

29  Have a Plan     60

30  Have a Sense of Humor     62

31  Choose How You Make Your Bed     64

32  Life Can Be a Bit Like Advertising     66

33  Get Used to Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone     68

34  Learn to Ask Questions     70

35  Have Dignity     72

36  It’s OK to Feel Big Emotions     74

37  Keep the Faith     76

38  You’ll Never Understand Everything     78

39  Know Where True Happiness Comes From     80

40  Life Is a Pizza     82

41  Know When to Let Go--When to Walk Away     84

42  Retaliation Leads to Escalation     86

43  Look After Yourself     88

44  Maintain Good Manners in All Things     90

45  Prune Your Stuff Frequently     92

46  Remember to Touch Base     94

47  Draw the Lines Around Yourself     96

48  Shop for Quality, Not Price     98

49  It’s OK to Worry, or to Know How Not To     100

50  Stay Young     102

51  Throwing Money at a Problem Doesn’t Always Work     104

52  Think for Yourself     106

53  You Are Not in Charge     108

54  Have Something in Your Life That Takes You

Out of Yourself     110

55  Only the Good Feel Guilty     112

56  If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, Don’t Say

Anything at All     114

 

Part II Partnership Rules     117

57  Accept the Differences, Embrace What You Have in Common     120

58  Allow Your Partner the Space to Be Themselves     122

59  Be Nice     124

60  You Want to Do What?     126

61  Be the First to Say Sorry     128

62  Go That Extra Step in Trying to Please Them     130

63  Always Have Someone--or Something--That Is Pleased to See You     132

64  Know When to Listen and When to Act     134

65  Have a Passion for Your Life Together     136

66  Make Sure Your Love Making Is Making Love     138

67  Keep Talking     140

68  Respect Privacy     142

69  Check You Both Have the Same Shared Goals     144

70  Treat Your Partner Better Than Your Best Friend     146

71  Contentment Is a High Aim     148

72  You Don’t Both Have to Have the Same Rules     150

 

Part III Family and Friends Rules     153

73  If You Are Going to Be a Friend, Be a Good Friend     156

74  Never Be Too Busy for Loved Ones     158

75  Let Your Kids Mess Up for Themselves--They Don’t Need Any Help from You     160

76  Have a Little Respect and Forgiveness for Your Parents     162

77  Give Your Kids a Break     164

78  Never Lend Money Unless You Are Prepared to Write It Off     166

79  Keep Quiet     168

80  There Are No Bad Children     170

81  Be Up Around People You Love     172

82  Give Your Kids Responsibilities     174

83  Your Children Need to Fall Out with You to Leave Home     176

84  Your Kids Will Have Friends You Don’t Like     178

85  Your Role as a Child     180

86  Your Role as a Parent     182

 

Part IV Social Rules     185

87  We’re All Closer Than You Think     188

88  It Doesn’t Hurt to Forgive     190

89  It Doesn’t Hurt to Be Helpful     192

90  What’s in It for Them?     194

91  Hang Out with Positive People     196

92  Be Generous with Your Time and Information     198

93  Get Involved     200

94  Keep the Moral High Ground     202

95  Just Because You Have, Doesn't Mean They Have Too     204

96  Do Compare Yourself with Other People     206

97  Have a Plan for Your Career     208

98  Look at the Long-Term Ramifications of What You Do for a Living     210

99  Be Good at Your Job     212

100  Be Aware of the Damage You Are Doing     214

101  Be for the Glory, Not the Degradation     216

102  Be Part of the Solution, Not the Problem     218

103  Check What History Would Say About You     220

104  Not Everything Can Be Green     222

105  Put Something Back     224

106  Find a New Rule Every Day--or Occasionally at Least     226

 

 

The Rules of Love

 

Introduction     xi

Part I Rules for Finding Love     2

1 Be Yourself     4

2 Get Over It Before You Get On With It     6

3 You Won’t Be Happy With a Partner Until You Can Be Happy on Your Own     8

4 You’ll Know Them When You Meet Them     10

5 Choose Someone Who Makes You Laugh     12

6 Being Less Than a Hundred Percent Attractive Is a Great Filter     14

7 Don’t Keep Making the Same Mistakes     16

8 Certain People Are Off Limits (You Know Who They Are)     18

9 You Can’t Change People     20

10 Relationships Aren’t About Sex     22

11 Get to Know Someone Through All the Seasons Before Making Any Major Decisions     24

12 Don’t Stay With Someone Who Doesn’t Care     26

13 If You Can’t Trust Them, You Haven’t Got a Relationship     28

14 Be Honest (While You Still Have the Chance)     30

15 Don’t Play Games     32

16 Don’t Paint New Partners with Old Brushes     34

17 Check You Both Have the Same Shared Goals     36

18 You Can’t Make Someone Love You     38

19 Be Cruel to Be Kind     40

Part II Relationship Rules     42

20 Be Nice     44

21 Be Together Because You Want to, Not Because You Need to     46

22 Allow Your Partner the Space to Be Themselves     48

23 Look to Your Own Faults     50

24 Be Honorable     52

25 Put Each Other First     54

26 Recognize the Signs     56

27 Be a Hero–Or a Heroine     58

28 Accept the Differences, Embrace What You Have in Common     60

29 Don’t Belittle Your Partner     62

30 You Want to Do What?     64

31 Let Not the Sun Go Down Upon Your Wrath     66

32 Be the First to Say Sorry     68

33 Let Them Have the Last Word     70

34 Houston, We Have a Problem     72

35 Don’t Put Them on a Pedestal and Expect Them to Stay There      74

36 Know When to Listen and When to Act     76

37 Never Stop Trying to be Attractive      78

38 If You Can Say Something Nice, Do     80

39 Don’t Try to Be Their Parent     82

40 Be Part of Their Life     84

41 If Little Things Annoy You, Say So–With Humor     86

42 Go That Extra Step in Trying to Please Them     88

43 Make Sure Your Partner Is Always Pleased to See You     90

44 Don’t Dump Responsibility on Your Partner     92

45 Let Them Know If You Don’t Like Their Friends     94

46 Jealousy Is Your Stuff, Not Theirs      96

47 Your Partner Is More Important Than Your Kids      98

48 Make Time for Romance     100

49 Have a Passion for Your Life Together      102

50 Share the Workload     104

51 Trust the Other One to Do the Job     106

52 Don’t Be a Nag     108

53 Make Sure Your Love Making Is Making Love      110

54 Don’t Control Them      112

55 Listen to What They’re Not Saying     114

56 Most Everyday Arguments Are About Something Else     116

57 Respect Privacy     118

58 Treat Your Partner Better Than Your Best Friend     120

59 Don’t Be Offended If They Want Some Space     122

60 Men Like Flowers Too     124

61 Keep Your Finances Separate     126

62 Contentment Is a High Aim     128

63 Be Generous to Each Other Financially      130

64 You Make a Choice Every Day     132

65 Don’t Be a Martyr     134

66 Stop Sniping–Someone Has To     136

67 You Don’t Both Have to Have the Same Rules     138

68 Do It Their Way If It Matters More to Them     140

69 Put Yourself in Their Shoes     142

70 In-laws Are Part of the Package     144

71 Keep Talking     146

Part III Rules for Parting     148

72 Listen to Your Own Internal Voice     150

73 Recognize That It Takes Two     152

74 Keep the Moral High Ground     154

75 Don’t Keep Mulling It Over     156

76 Leave the Kids Out of It     158

Part IV Family Rules     160

77 Don’t Blame Your Parents      162

78 Don’t Let Your Parents Control Your Feelings     164

79 Your Children Come Before You     166

80 Nothing Is Worth Falling Out Over     168

81 Treat Them Right, No Matter How They Treat You     170

82 There Are No Circumstances in Which It Is Ever Acceptable to Say “I Told You So”     172

83 Don’t Pressure Your Family Just Because You Can     174

84 Never Be Too Busy for Loved Ones     176

85 Your Children Need to Fall Out with You to Leave Home     178

86 They Don’t Have to Be the Same as You     180

87 There’s Always Stuff with Siblings     182

88 Let Go of Your Role     184

Part V Friendship Rules     186

89 There Are No Rules     188

90 Your Best Friend Was Once a Stranger     190

91 Only Have People in Your Life Who, on Balance,  Make It Better Not Worse     192

92 If You’re Going to Be a Friend, Be a Good Friend     194

93 Forgive     196

94 Never Give Advice*     198

95 Don’t Make Other People Uncomfortable     200

96 Find Friends Who Love the Truth     202

97 Never Lend Money Unless You’re Prepared to Write It Off     204

98 If You Don’t Like Their Partner, Tough     206

99 When One Finger Points Forward, Three Point Back     208

100 Friendships Change     210

101 Know When to Let Go     212

102 Bitterness Helps No One     214

Part VI Rules for Everyone     216

103 People Are More Important Than Things     218

104 Guilt Is a Selfish Emotion     220

105 Love Equals Time     222

106 The More You Put Out, The More You Get Back     224

107 Other People Are Where It’s At     226

Had Enough Yet…?     228

You’ll Get Older But Not Necessarily Wiser     230

Get Your Work Noticed     232

Anybody Can Be Wealthy–You Just Need to Apply Yourself     234

Get Them Emotionally Involved     236

Relax     238