Adrian’s Life Rules

Inspired by a certain character on a television series that has had a significant impact on my life, philosophy, and ethics, I started this list of life rules back in high school. This register has groan and evolved as I have—influences by thoughts, events, and people in my life. The first few were a jumble of wisdom but over time they have become a coherent list of rules and philosophies that I turn to when in doubt or to bestow guidance on others.

Adrian’s Life Rule #1: You can only rely on yourself 100% of the time.

#2: It is better to make friends than enemies.

#3: There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind.

#4: When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

#5: If you’re going to do it, do it excellently.

#6: Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do.

#7: Allow yourself to feel comfortable with your discomfort.

#8: Gotta go with what works.

#9: Learn to see the value in something even if it isn’t valuable to yourself.

#10: The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.

#11: Don’t take anything for granted.

#12: All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.

#13: Every story has two sides… at least.

#14: A failure to execute on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

#15: When all else fails, do it yourself.

#16: If you want peace, you may need to prepare for war.

#17: The best part about creativity is that under no circumstances must you follow the rules.

#18: It isn’t serious until it’s serious.

#19: Everyone thinks they are the good guys.

#20: Don't hesitate to challenge those who are judging you unfairly.

#21: Put your team first and they will put their jobs first.

#22: To get the right answers, one must ask the right questions.

#23: Destruction is easy. Creation, that's hard.

#24: Most of the time, rules are just an excuse to be lazy or mediocre.

#25: Sometimes things that are technically wrong are creatively right.

#26: Expect the worst, hope for the best.

#27: If one encounters a rock face, rather than turning back, perhaps it is time to learn how to climb.

#28: Don't think "outside box," think "there is no box."

#29: Accuracy matters.™

#30: Slow down to speed up.

#31: If what you have you do not need, be kind and share with someone who does.

#32: No growth without assistant. No action without reaction. No desire without restraint.

#33: People in power only have it if you give power to them. Take it away if you must.

#34: If it isn't important enough to put in the headline, it isn't interesting enough to read.

#35: Nothing is impossible just highly improbable.

#36: You can never shock your audience the way you did the first time.

#37: Number one rule in getting out of a hole: Stop digging.

#38: Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

#39: Being busy does not equal being productive.

#40: Creativity: Madman, Architect, Carpenter, Judge. In that order.

#41: Don't think. Pick up the phone and make it happen.

#42: A crisis and opportunity are one and the same.

#43: There is nothing wrong with being different.

#44: Use the right tool for the right job in the right way.

#45: Careful being the first to do something. Never be the last.

#46: Number one rule in producing: Don't use your own money.

#47: There is always a chance.

#48: Sometimes the only thing more concerning than asking a question, is getting the answer.

#49: Knowing what one doesn't want is equally as important as knowing what one does want.

#50: One can not blame a house plant for dying if one never gives it water.

#51: The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.

#52: Be very careful when discussing absolutes.

#53: Sometimes a good lie is easier to believe than the truth.

#54: The things that one doesn’t tell people often are more important than the things one does.

#55: Let people do what they do best.

#56: Go out and shoot!

#57: It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose.

#58: There is nothing wrong with silence.

#59: Fear and doubt are not strong positions from which to base an argument.

#60: Not failure—Just finding ways that do not work.

#61: Great things don’t stay in boxes.

#62: Things can only be what they are, not what you want them to be.

#63: Great skill comes without effort.

#64: If your gut is telling you to run like the wind, listen. Grab your sneakers and get the fuck out.

#65: The moment you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.

#66: Truth is usually a simple story and not hidden. Lies are complicated and well hidden.

#67: One does not need to like someone to work well with them.

#68: The only person who made no mistakes never tried something new.

#69: A camera alone only captures light. Through skillful manipulation does that light become cinematography.

#70: Anytime someone says there is no solution to a problem, the best conclusion one should come to is that they have no idea what they are talking about.

#71: ‘Hope’ is not a strategy.

#72: Efficiency: greatest possible output from the least possible input.

#73: The grass is always greener where you water it.

#74: Accessible design is good design.

#75: For the benefit of the flowers, we water the thorns too.

#76: A goal without a plan is just a wish.

#77: Sometimes it is more important to consider others before oneself.

#78: One learns nothing without going from the known into the unknown.

#79: Nothing true is popular and nothing popular is true.

#80: It’s only impossible until someone does it.

#81: Never connect how you feel to something you can not control. (TC)

#82: When the wind of change blows, while some build walls, it’s better to build windmills.

#83: Be careful asking someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. 

#84: When it is difficult choosing between advancing or retreat, adopt a positive attitude to the approaching circumstance. 

#85: No one can give you that which you deny yourself. 

#86: Not every cage is a prison, not every loss eternal.

#87: Giving up one’s values for a bit of security is losing the battle in advance. 

#88: No response is a response. And it’s a very powerful one.

#89: Accept the darkness and one will appreciate everything that shines.

#90: One doesn’t always enter every situation through the front door. 

#91: Difficult and meaningful will always bring more satisfaction than easy and meaningless.

#92: It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.

#93: Loyalty is a feast for those to whom you provide but if they dislike what you bring to the table, let them eat alone.

#94: Just because you left your house doesn’t mean you’ve lost your home. 

#95: If one doesn’t know the value of loyalty, one can never appreciate the cost of betrayal.

#96: Perfection isn’t continuing to add but when there is nothing more needing to be removed.

#97: In matters of love, if it’s meant to be, they’ll come around. 

#98: Big things emerge from a heaping of small things.

#99: It is always better to fail in doing something than to excel at doing nothing.

#100: Retreat is not defeat. One who disengages, preserves oneself to bring success another day. 

#101: Always forgive but only trust once.

#102: If you value someone, never put yourself in a position to lose them.

#103: Turning away a beautiful face is hard. Turning away a beautiful heart and mind is tragic.

#104: Remember, your very little key will open a very heavy door. 

#105: Fortune favors the bold. 

#106: Always know when to make a graceful exit. 

#107: Technology does not matter more than the human mind. 

#108: You need not wait a moment to start improving the world 

#109: The light at the end of the tunnel might be you.

#110: If you think you look good in the mirror but bad in photos, trust the mirror.

#111: When you’re tired, take rest—don’t quit.

#112: The path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom.

#113: You and other things can be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.

#114: It is better to embarrass oneself trying than regret not taking the chance at all.

#115: Part of the Approach is being approachable.

#116: Don’t think of your career as a ladder, think of it as a river.

#117: In order to do something you’ve never done, you have to become someone you’ve never been.

#118: Trust your instincts—it is beyond study and instrumentation.

#119: The thrill is in the chase, not the capture.

#120: Don’t read the comments.

#121: You should not serve food you yourself have not tasted.

#122: Trust your editor.

#123: The path is made only when one travels it.

#124: You can only control how you play the game.

#125: There is no such thing as ‘over engineered,’ just underutilized.

#126: Remember the past, create the future.