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Examples of philosophies of life
Start selecting your basic principles. Pull together your basic ideas
from the above exercises and comments. I will give two examples of
a philosophy of life. Both may appeal to you and should be useful. The
first is a philosophy written by a student which emphasizes self-
acceptance, being your true self, self-responsibility, and self-direction.
It is comfort and happiness oriented (although the Golden Rule is
mentioned).
A happiness philosophy
I am ________ and no one else. I am unique. I am myself and
do the things I do because of me, not because of anyone else.
If I ever find myself being displeased because of something I
have done, I will realize that the behavior has to be changed by
me and no one else. The only person that I can expect to do
anything is myself.
I am one person and will take on the responsibilities of one
person, not the rest of the world. I am capable of doing only
what I am able to do and will not expect more.
I will respect others for being what they are, not for what they
have. I will accept others for being themselves. I am superior
to no one and no one is superior to me.
I will not let people run my life. My life is my own and I will
treasure it for all it is worth. And it is worth everything.
I will be honest with myself and with others at all times. I will
do the best I can in all aspects. I will try my hardest to accept
all of my traits--good or bad.
I will respect my parents and give them all the love they
deserve, which is a whole lot. I will try to accept their ideas and
listen to them open-mindedly, even if I don't agree. I will
explain to them why I believe in the things I do and ask them
to accept me with those beliefs. I will cherish them always.
I will treat others as I want to be treated. I will listen to others'
ideas and respect their opinions, even if I'm in disagreement.
My goal in life is to be happy to the best of my abilities. I am
me and I am real. I will live my life as the real me.
A helping philosophy
I believe it is satisfying and a moral duty to help others. I want
to give. It does not seem fair that I should want and/or have so
much--a big home, a car, a good education, nice clothes--while
many others have so little. I feel compelled to do what is right,
even though it is hard for me to give up some things. I want to
follow the Golden Rule; if I don't, I won't be happy with myself
when I die.
I would also like to be accepting of myself and others, even
when I or they fall short of my ideals. I want to forgive. I
believe one way of doing this is by believing in the "lawfulness"
of all things, to assume there are necessary and sufficient
