Shortcuts to enlightenment

1. The ten second rule: Every day, look at something for ten seconds that would have previously made you unhappy

For example, a homeless person on the street
Or your spouse when they are angry
Or an argument on TV
Whatever it is, just look at it for ten seconds and ask yourself, “What is interesting about this?” By doing this every day you will train yourself to be more mindful of the present moment and not get stuck in habitual ways of thinking that cause unhappiness

2. The one percent rule: If you can do one percent better every day than you did the previous day then after a year you will be 37% better than you were the first day

This works in sports, business, relationships, etc

3. The three minute rule: When someone says something negative to you (or positive) don’t respond immediately

Take three minutes to respond (if at all)
This forces you to be mindful of your response and not just react based on old habits or conditioning from childhood

4. The five minute rule: When someone asks for help or advice take five minutes to respond instead of immediately responding with whatever comes to mind

Again, this forces mindfulness as well as prevents knee-jerk reactions due to conditioning from childhood or past experiences with similar situations

5. The one week rule: Never make any decision that will affect your life for more than one week unless you have spent at least a week thinking about it carefully (and even then be careful)

This prevents impulsivity which leads to regret later on down the road when other factors come into play that weren’t considered initially

6. The three month rule: Never buy anything new unless you plan on keeping it for at least three months before deciding if it was a good purchase or not (unless there is some sort of urgency like needing a car or computer immediately so that

This prevents impulsivity and keeps clutter out of your life so that focus can happen easier down the road when making decisions about what actions to take next in life

7. The ten year rule : Never marry anyone unless you think things would still be ok if ten years later he/she came back into your life and said “I want my family back”

Otherwise there are too many unknowns in marriage and children (who are not really kids anymore by age 18) that can lead to regret later on down the road if things go bad quickly with no warning signs beforehand

8. The "no" rule : Don't ever say "yes" when "no" is an option . Always has been , always will be . Why ? Because "yes" locks in commitment before considering alternatives while "no" allows more options , including changing one's mind later

This doesn't mean being rude but instead being mindful enough so as not lock oneself into decisions with no way out should one change his/her mind later down the road when unforeseen circumstances arise related to whatever was initially agreed upon .

9. What's going right

Every night before going to sleep , list three things that went well during the day AND why they went well
This trains optimism while also reinforcing how important it is to pay attention during each day so as not miss opportunities during each day
It also trains persistence since most people don't like having their lists questioned by others but forcing yourself through this exercise every night helps build resilience against negativity from others who might question why something went well during a given day

AI James Altucher