Your Life Laws
I love drinking wine and beer with friends or at a meal, and over the years, I’ve been known to occasionally overindulge. To control my drinking, I began setting my personal rules for alcohol for each year. Twice, the rule was absolutely no alcohol for the calendar year. This past year’s rule was no more than 50 drinks for the year, excluding when in Europe. (If you’re wondering, I wrote this blog on November 28th, and I’m at 44 total drinks – it was easy to stick to the rule and keep my drinking moderate.)
Your Life Laws
Think about it: Every society has laws. They define what is required, what is allowed, and what is forbidden. Most of us follow those laws without much internal debate because they are clear, firm, and non-negotiable.
But of course most of our daily struggles have nothing to do with government laws. They come from the personal gray areas we allow in our own lives. Things like:
“I eat healthy most of the time.”
“I usually get to bed at a reasonable hour.”
“I exercise most days (unless I’m busy, traveling, tired, or sick).”
“I won’t drink too much.”
“I meditate when I have time.”
These thoughts are better than nothing, but they leave you with constant temptations and create decision fatigue. Every day and every decision becomes a fresh negotiation with yourself.
Life Laws remove that friction and replace it with clarity and bright lines.
What is a Life Law?
A Life Law is a personal rule you obey without debate. It is a firm guardrail that governs your behavior.
A vegetarian does not wake up each day and decide whether to eat meat. It is simply not an option.
A teetotaler does not wrestle with the decision to drink. Alcohol is off the table.
No willpower or daily discipline required.
Life Laws work the same way.
They define:
What you do (every time)
What you do not do (ever)
What your minimum standards are
These are the things that are non-negotiable for you.
Life Laws can be Absolutes or Minimum Standards
Some Life Laws are black and white:
I never drive after having even one drink.
I never bring my phone into the bedroom.
I never miss a workout two days in a row.
Others are Minimum Standards:
I always get at least five minutes of exercise.
Every day, I do at least a 2-minute meditation or breathwork.
I reach out to at least 1 friend or family member every day.
I read at least 2 pages in a personal or professional development book each day.
You probably have more ambitious goals:
One hour of exercise
Eight hours of sleep
10 minutes of daily meditation
No unhealthy food
But your Life Laws define the line you will never cross.
Where Life Laws Work Best
Life Laws are most helpful in the areas where we tend to drift:
Eating and drinking
Exercise and movement
Sleep time and wake time
Screen time and media consumption
Meditation and reflection
Morning and evening routines
Why Life Laws are so Effective
Life Laws work because they shift you from vague intentions to firm rules. You stop negotiating with yourself. You simply follow your own law.
That creates:
Mental freedom
Consistency
Trust in yourself
A sense of personal integrity
No more succumbing to temptation. No more feeling guilt or regret.
This is the Perfect Time to Reset
The holiday season is when many people overindulge, feel regret, and think about resetting their habits.
Instead of vague resolutions that fade by February, this is the perfect moment to define a small set of Life Laws that will govern your next year.
Start with just a few. Cover the areas where you normally slip. Make them:
Clear
Simple
Specific
Easy to remember
Easy to execute even on your worst day
If you can do that, you’ll feel more certainty and peace in your life.
