1. Choose your life's principles well.  They define your actions and delimits your faults.  This way, you can predict how to act on a certain situation.
  2. When you have chosen them well, try hard to live by it.  Know when you must put them to action and know when "not" to apply them.
  3. There are many principles in life that you might want to abide by, but never ever use all principles at any given time.  More often than not, they destroy you and not help you live by them at all.
Now, how did I ever get to these keypoints?!  Simple.  I have experienced them.

To those who know me very well, (and soon my reader will know me too through this).. I only have three principles in life.  These are:

1.  Everything in Place and a Place for Everything.

When I was in college, we had turns to right stuffs about ourselves to make a mark in the very precious and prestigious history of UP Diliman, Engg.  Its about composing write-ups to appear in your yearbook.  I thought it was a sad fact that I cannot describe myself in a couple of sentences.  I have thought that by doing so, I'm already limiting myself to the words I will choose at that time.  Of course, I felt larger than this piece of page that was to be printed a thousand times and distributed to the other students who graduated at that time.

In short, my pen was inkless, my mind thoughtless.  How can I ever describe myself.  At merely two days before deadline, I made up my mind.  I wrote eight adjectives of myself (of course, considering only one window of the Johari).  And, I have noted a distinct title for my page.. it was to be labelled:  "I make my own destiny".

After I received the print, I didn't find anything that wrote: "I make my own destiny.", instead it wrote: "Chartering destinations".  Huh?!  And who did ever had the guts to think for me and put such a quote in my behalf?!  Well, it was done, and there wasn't any use for crying over spilled milk.

In short, everything happens for a reason.  The only hard part is finding out what that reason is.  At any rate, things happen because they were bound to happen long before it took place.

2.  Do not do unto others, what you do not want others to do unto you.

Yes, this is the famous golden rule that almost everybody has heard of at least once in their entire life.

Most of the time, I feel that my own actions are bound by my impression of good and bad.  I believe that there is no room for apologies, if in the first place, careful thought has been given before the action was committed.  As what my good friend, Gliziel has once said, "baket pa may pulis kung meron namang sorry".

Man was given good intellect for reasoning and free will for deciding.  Why should you have done a thing that would be detrimental to your own welfare or to others??  Think first before you act.  You might never know who you're gonna hurt or damage.. intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and/or physically.  Its an awfully difficult burden to the mature animal–man, but hey, its our obligation.

So, I measure up all my actions on how I would react when such a thing is done to me.  I am linient with giving apologies and/or thankfulness whenever possible, but only up to a certain extent.   I do not want to get myself caught in  a situation wherein the only possible way of warding off guilt will be to say "sorry".

If I feel its gonna hurt me when I this certain thing is done to me, then, by all means, I will never do it to anybody at all.

3.  Pag gusto, may paraan, pag ayaw, may dahilan.

Its not uncommon for man to pass up on something that is difficult.  This may be work related, or even part of our daily lives.  Either you'd want to be your own master and never obey anybody else, or too lazy at all to simply act, it still boils down to your own will.

I believe that if I fail on something that needs to be done, I cannot cover it up with excuses.   And, there is no impossible thing for the person with the will to do something.  Things aren't accomplished due to many external factors acting on it, but in the end, something will take place, only when the heart and the mind will collaborate to work on a certain goal.

So, the next time you feel incapable, check on your motivation scale.  This might be the culprit.  Find the real root of disappointment and attack it.  Never make up an excuse for something that you can control.

And the real mess is at..

Now, by themselves, these principles make me live a perfect human being's life.  But…., if I put them all together, it will make me go crazy.  Why?  Here's why..

Premise:  A friend of mine borrowed a certain amount of money from me.  I usually do not lend money, but I made an exception for this friend.  Let's call her Susan.  She has borrowed money a year ago and has promised to pay back the cash for over 6 months now.. but nothing has been credited to me yet.
Principle#1 says: Everything in Place and a Place for Everything. Principle#2 says: Do not do unto others, what you do not want others to do unto you. Principle#3 says:  Pag gusto, may paraan, pag ayaw, may dahilan
Trail of thoughts:
  • She should pay me by any means.  Its long overdue and I rightfully deserve what is mine.  After all, money can't be found just about anywhere at all.  (Correct by Principle#3)
  • Oh, but she might be a bit financially dry that's why she can't pay me back.  (Correct by Principle#1, but violates Principle#3)
  • I'll give her time.  (Correct by Principle#2, but violates Principle#1)
  • Six months have passed by, each month with a different promise.  Surely, she should've saved up the amount she owed me.  I wouldn't have possibly abused the patience of my lender.  (Correct by Principle#2)
  • What will I do if she won't pay me?  I also need the money.  I must reprimand her.  (Correct by Principle#3, but incorrect by Principle#2)
  • Now, I am angry, and I need to act (Correct by Principle#3, but violates Principle#2)
…and then the cycle continues.

Sigh.. I thought they could make my life simpler.  :P