"Never Leave Anything On A Chair That You Wouldn't Want To Sit On": 35 Good-to-know Rules To Ease Your Life, As Told By The Panda Community

The way people treat you is a reflection of who THEY are, not a reflection of who YOU are.
There. I just saved you the 40 years it took me to learn it, thinking that I must be a terrible person all that time

The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The older I get, the more I see in that seemingly simple cluster of words. I should admit that I stray at times, because I am human. But when we raised our children, that was our guide. It gave us patience and guidelines when we needed them, and made us better listeners. It also enabled us to comfortably admit when we had no idea what to do as parents. Instead of pretending (lying) we talked with them, listened, and ended up with a solution we could all accept.

ALWAYS hug your partner when they come home. From work, the store, whatever. Hug and reconnect physically. This actually syncs your breathing, allows you both to relax, and be happy and at peace with each other.

Always be polite to strangers especially where people serve or help you.

The best apology is changed behavior.

Never take criticism from someone you’d never take advice from.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Don't be afraid to disappoint or upset people with your boundaries.

Always put your keys back in the exact same place! On a hook, in your front left pocket, in your purse. Otherwise, they could end up in the fridge or inside the couch!

72 hour rule. I tend to be very reactionary which has caused A LOT of trouble for me in the past. At one point I realized that when I calmed down and thought things thru I generally considered things from multiple perspectives and regretted my initial reaction. So I initiated the 72 hour rule. When something makes me VERY angry or upset I inform the person involved that I will not discuss it again for the next 3 days. In that time I consider the problem and follow up accordingly. Obviously there are times that 72 hours aren’t reasonable but by using this technique most of the time I’ve become much better at responding more reasonably and less defensively. It’s now to the point that the major players in my life know when I need my 3 days and several folks (including my mother... oh the irony!!) have adopted this rule!

If you're in a tight spot, your only appropriate response to sincere offers of help is "Yes, thank you". Swallow your pride and stomp on any revulsion of "accepting charity" until it stops twitching. Your best interests are served by accepting any help offered with gratitude.

If you’re going to complain to someone, complain to someone who can fix it. Otherwise, don’t just complain to anyone. Everyone has their own problems, don’t add to theirs.

1. Never suffer a liar, a thief, or a cheat.
2. Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.
3. Do what you can, where you can, when you can.

Here's mine from my English class:

The 5 Rules In My Life:

1. Always Assume Disappointment.
If you are always assuming that someone will let you down, you’ll never be disappointed. And if they don’t, you will be pleasantly surprised.

2. Always Respect Someone Until They Give You A Reason Not To.
When you meet someone new, you respect them. Until they say/do something that makes it so you don’t anymore.

3. Don’t Assume Something Is True.

If you hear something about somebody that didn’t come from the person themselves, always ask them if it is true.

4. Do What Makes You Comfortable.
Who cares what John in the deli thinks? If you like that shirt, f*****g rock it! Do whatever makes you happy, not what you think other people would like.

5. Put Yourself First.
If someone, (i.e. a friend, an S.O., a coworker) wants to do something you don’t want to do, makes you uncomfortable, is pressuring you into something, don’t listen. Listen to what you want first. You are the most important person in your life. You will always come first.

Follow these and live the best life!

Never leave anything on a chair that you wouldn't want to sit on.

The Golden Rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. It truly makes life better.

Big decisions where the right choice isn't obvious? Have a good night of sleep. The best choice will be clearer the next day.

5 things to quit:
1. Trying to please everyone
2. Fearing change
3. Living in the past
4. Putting yourself down
5. Overthinking

Never get into car without using restroom first. Never leave the house without 'seeing' the cat. Don't want to leave her in a closed room without access to her litter box.

My rule is that integrity matters above all else - try to do what is right no matter how hard it is. No one is perfect, but I have found that the ability to do the right thing when no one is watching is a rare trait nowadays. It's an unpopular opinion, but I think revenge is not always the best policy, and that it perhaps says more about you than the one who wronged you first. The world has always been a mess, since the beginning, and the fact that forgiveness seems to be going out of style is a terrifying prospect. I'm not saying that you should let people walk all over you, there is absolutely a time to be firm. However, my personal rule of staying true to my morals has helped me see the good in people that I might have missed otherwise.