The Rules to Break, 3rd Edition

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Title page
3. Contents
4. Introduction
5. Acknowledgements
6. Rules to break
   1. 1 “Success is a good job earning lots of money”
   2. Rule 1: Success is what you say it is
   3. 2 “Some people are just born lucky”
   4. Rule 2: Don’t envy other people
   5. 3 “You need the right qualifications”
   6. Rule 3: Exams aren’t the be all and end all
   7. 4 “Your parents are always right”
   8. Rule 4: Don’t expect your parents to be perfect
   9. 5 “Your parents are responsible for how you turn out”
   10. Rule 5: Give your parents a break
   11. 6 “The world is against you”
   12. Rule 6: You’re responsible for your own life
   13. 7 “We all have an absolute right to be respected”
   14. Rule 7: There’s a balance between the right to respect, and tolerance
   15. 8 “You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family”
   16. Rule 8: Your siblings should be your best friends for life
   17. 9 “Teacher knows best”
   18. Rule 9: Getting on at school is not the same as getting on in life
   19. 10 “Have something to say for yourself”
   20. Rule 10: If you find it hard to talk, try listening
   21. 11 “Some people are just difficult”
   22. Rule 11: No one chooses to be difficult without a reason
   23. 12 “Don’t waste your time on people who aren’t worth it”
   24. Rule 12: Suffer fools gladly. Well, suffer them, anyway
   25. 13 “You can’t be cheerful if you’re in pain”
   26. Rule 13: Pain doesn’t have to make you miserable
   27. 14 “Good work speaks for itself”
   28. Rule 14: No one at work will know how good you are unless you tell them
   29. 15 “Do what it takes to get what you want”
   30. Rule 15: Don’t emotionally blackmail people
   31. 16 “A place for everything, and everything in its place”
   32. Rule 16: It’s not morally superior to be tidy
   33. 17 “It matters what other people think”
   34. Rule 17: Don’t live for other people’s approval
   35. 18 “Give as good as you get”
   36. Rule 18: You get what you give
   37. 19 “Stick with your own kind”
   38. Rule 19: Your friends don’t all need to be like you
   39. 20 “The best things in life are free”
   40. Rule 20: Everything worth having hurts
   41. 21 “You can change people”
   42. Rule 21: Don’t try to change people
   43. 22 “It’s where you’re going that matters, not where you came from”
   44. Rule 22: Be proud of your roots
   45. 23 “Friends are for life”
   46. Rule 23: Friends come and go
   47. 24 “Mistakes are a bad thing”
   48. Rule 24: Mistakes can be good
   49. 25 “Be a friend to everybody”
   50. Rule 25: You don’t have to like everyone
   51. 26 “… and everybody will be your friend”
   52. Rule 26: … and not everyone will like you
   53. 27 “If you don’t like it, tough”
   54. Rule 27: Remember, you have a choice
   55. 28 “You need to get your chores over with”
   56. Rule 28: Life’s all about the little things
   57. 29 “Stay true to your dreams”
   58. Rule 29: Priorities change over the years
   59. 30 “People have a right to know”
   60. Rule 30: Know how to keep a secret
   61. 31 “Face your fears”
   62. Rule 31: Replace the bad thoughts
   63. 32 “Make a New Year’s resolution every year”
   64. Rule 32: You can’t change habits unless you want to
   65. 33 “Respect the elderly”
   66. Rule 33: Respect everyone
   67. 34 “Look after number one”
   68. Rule 34: Helping other people makes you feel good about yourself
   69. 35 “If you’re in the firing line, keep your head down”
   70. Rule 35: They can’t walk all over you unless you’re lying down
   71. 36 “Just ignore the bullies”
   72. Rule 36: Don’t let ’em bully you
   73. 37 “Think on your feet”
   74. Rule 37: Be in control
   75. 38 “What you do is more important than why you do it”
   76. Rule 38: Be honest with yourself
   77. 39 “You can judge a book by its cover”
   78. Rule 39: Everyone has a backstory
   79. 40 “Put the past behind you”
   80. Rule 40: You have to deal with your stuff before you can get on with your life
   81. 41 “What about me?”
   82. Rule 41: It’s not all about you
   83. 42 “Just once won’t hurt”
   84. Rule 42: Don’t let bad habits get a foot in the door
   85. 43 “Be spontaneous”
   86. Rule 43: Listen to the voices in your head
   87. 44 “Take one step at a time”
   88. Rule 44: If you want big things to change, you have to make big changes
   89. 45 “The best people will be there for you for life”
   90. Rule 45: People come and go, and it’s OK
   91. 46 “Enjoy yourself while you’re young”
   92. Rule 46: Your body is for life
   93. 47 “Borrowing is OK so long as you can pay it back”
   94. Rule 47: Don’t get into debt
   95. 48 “Be generous”
   96. Rule 48: Never lend money unless you’re prepared to write it off
   97. 49 “Believe you’re the best”
   98. Rule 49: Know your real worth
   99. 50 “Don’t allow people to make you feel bad”
   100. Rule 50: The only thing you can control is you
   101. 51 “Some people just get to you”
   102. Rule 51: No one can make you feel anything
   103. 52 “You can’t help how you feel”
   104. Rule 52: You feel what you think
   105. 53 “Actions speak louder than words”
   106. Rule 53: Don’t take anyone for granted
   107. 54 “Avoid unnecessary displays of emotion”
   108. Rule 54: Say thank you out loud
   109. 55 “The internet makes you anonymous”
   110. Rule 55: The Rules don’t stop online
   111. 56 “Always seek to improve yourself”
   112. Rule 56: Accept your shortcomings
   113. 57 “Strive for perfection”
   114. Rule 57: Perfection can be a handicap
   115. 58 “You are the product of your genes”
   116. Rule 58: You are the sum of your experiences (so make them good)
   117. 59 “Tomorrow is another day”
   118. Rule 59: How you spend your day is how you spend your life
   119. 60 “There aren’t enough hours in the day”
   120. Rule 60: Know your limitations
   121. 61 “Always get off on the right foot from the start”
   122. Rule 61: Bide your time to make a good impression
   123. 62 “Confident people know where they’re going”
   124. Rule 62: Everyone else is as lost as you
   125. 63 “Stand out from the crowd”
   126. Rule 63: There’s a fine line between being ubercool and being a total prat
   127. 64 “Appearances matter”
   128. Rule 64: Be happy with the way you look
   129. 65 “It’s just a drop in the ocean”
   130. Rule 65: The insignificant is important
   131. 66 “The job comes first”
   132. Rule 66: Don’t mistake your career for your life
   133. 67 “Get it all out in the open”
   134. Rule 67: Avoid conflict
   135. 68 “If you know you’re in the right, don’t back down”
   136. Rule 68: Don’t be afraid of compromise
   137. 69 “Some people are just asking for it”
   138. Rule 69: Keep the moral high ground
   139. 70 “It’s good to let your feelings out”
   140. Rule 70: Don’t trample on other people’s emotions
   141. 71 “No one is perfect”
   142. Rule 71: Be on the side of the angels, not the beasts
   143. 72 “Meet your deadlines”
   144. Rule 72: Keep ahead of deadlines
   145. 73 “Give good advice”
   146. Rule 73: Don’t give advice
   147. 74 “Let people know when you’re right”
   148. Rule 74: Never say ‘I told you so’
   149. 75 “Stick to what you’re good at”
   150. Rule 75: Stretch yourself
   151. 76 “You’ve a right to be treated fairly”
   152. Rule 76: Stop expecting life to be fair
   153. 77 “The more you learn about a subject, the more of an expert you become”
   154. Rule 77: The more you know, the more you don’t
   155. 78 “You can’t learn anything from a fool”
   156. Rule 78: Learn from other people’s mistakes
   157. 79 “If you’re going to do something, do it properly”
   158. Rule 79: You don’t have to jump in the deep end
   159. 80 “Stick with what you know”
   160. Rule 80: Step out of your comfort zone
   161. 81 “People will judge you by what you own”
   162. Rule 81: Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses
   163. 82 “Hide your mistakes”
   164. Rule 82: Remember, you could be wrong – someone has to be
   165. 83 “Live in the present”
   166. Rule 83: Keep perspective
   167. 84 “Know what you want”
   168. Rule 84: You don’t have to know what you want
   169. 85 “Guilt tells you where you’re going wrong”
   170. Rule 85: Don’t do guilt
   171. 86 “Someone will make it better”
   172. Rule 86: Pick yourself up (no one else will do it for you)
   173. 87 “Think through your problems”
   174. Rule 87: Thinking hard doesn’t always help
   175. 88 “Narrow down your options”
   176. Rule 88: Look at all the options
   177. 89 “Stick to a plan”
   178. Rule 89: Life is unpredictable
   179. 90 “Trust no one”
   180. Rule 90: Trust everyone
   181. 91 “Trust everyone”
   182. Rule 91: Trust no one
   183. 92 “Sometimes you need a good moan”
   184. Rule 92: There are people who moan, and people who just get on with it
   185. 93 “Don’t sacrifice yourself for a relationship”
   186. Rule 93: It’s the compromises that make relationships worth having
   187. 94 “Feelings should be rational”
   188. Rule 94: Feelings aren’t right or wrong – they just are
   189. 95 “Eat, drink and be merry …”
   190. Rule 95: Stay alive
   191. 96 “I want doesn’t get”
   192. Rule 96: Ask for what you want
   193. 97 “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
   194. Rule 97: Look up
   195. 98 “Find yourself a safe job”
   196. Rule 98: Follow your passion
   197. 99 “Protect your property”
   198. Rule 99: People are more important than things
   199. 100 “You can’t change horses in midstream”
   200. Rule 100: It’s never too late to start following the real Rules
7. Rules to follow
   1. 1 No man is an island
   2. 2 Two wrongs don’t make a right
   3. 3 When in Rome, do as the Romans
   4. 4 Don’t judge a book by its cover
   5. 5 For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
   6. 6 There’s no such thing as a free lunch
   7. 7 Do as you would be done by
   8. 8 The pen is mightier than the sword
   9. 9 Keep dry, and away from children
   10. 10 Give it time
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9. Imprint