Title: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Author: Jordan B. Peterson
Year: 2018
Publisher: Random House Canada Penguin Allen Lane (UK)
Review
“Don’t reorganize the state until you have ordered your own experience. Have some humility. If you cannot bring peace to your household, how dare you try to rule a city?”
Jordan B. Peterson, a clinical psychologist is quite controversial and also known as a “rockstar”, some people hate them, some people love them but in this case, you can’t deny his knowledge, wisdom and emphatic personality.
In this book review, we’ll look at three of the twelve rules from his book: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. More than rules, they are life lessons and tips we can (and really must) follow to begin to create and live a life full of purpose, on the way to reaching happiness.
Stand Up Straight with Your Shoulders Straight
The very first rule of the book is the most important one in my opinion.
So, why should we stand up straight? Or, why is this book telling me something so obvious? The reason why is because this refers to one simple truth, life is not fair; you will suffer and tragedy will hit you early or later in life.
And what‘s the best response? Face it, and you will see you are capable of more than you think!
Face your demons, face your fears, stand up straight with your shoulders square and straight, and adopt a posture that says, “I‘m not scared, I can take the venom and make it a tonic.” You will see how this will affect your mood and your mindset for the better.
Set Your House in Order Before You Criticize the World
One of his most known phrases is “make your bed”. The reason behind this is that we all know people who complain, people who are always showing off, in other words, noisy people. Sometimes it seems like they have something to prove, or that they‘re hiding something.
In most cases, the loudest person is the emptiest one (empty barrels make the most noise), people would rather point to your house, your car, your clothes, your values, your decisions, whatever, so that they don’t have to look at theirs.
Be aware of these people, and don’t forget to take the skeletons out of your closet, check for monsters under your bed, clean out every single corner and then take a good look at yourself in the mirror, before you criticize the outside.
Be Precise in Your Speech
Learn to communicate with others, and express what you want and what you do not want. In moments of chaos, you must stand your ground, most problems arise because someone did not know what he or she wanted, or maybe because that person lacked confidence and was too afraid to talk.
The cold, hard reality is that if you do not express what you want (or at least try to) someone else will do it for you.
Another good point for this rule is that through words, we express what is inside our minds and hearts. Someone who cannot communicate and has a hard time trying to explain things is often the sign of a chaotic mind. Talking out loud to yourself, and writing can help you tremendously here.
Summary
These just were three of the twelve rules from this book, which I personally and highly recommend to everyone. Jordan Peterson’s wisdom is remarkable, he teaches us how to be better and face the challenges of life.
After reading his books you will develop tools to face your demons. How? Because you will understand that asking for a happy life is not the correct choice. You must look for a purpose, a dream, you must be grateful for life, then keep on diving deep into your purpose and find the gems of everything you want there. Then happiness will definitely appear in your life.
Favourite Quotes
- “What you aim at determines what you see.”
- “Memory is a tool. Memory is the past’s guide to the future. If you remember that something bad happened, and you can figure out why, then you can try to avoid that bad thing from.happening again. That’s the purpose of memory. It’s not ‘to remember the past.’ It’s to stop the same damn thing from happening over and over.”
- “Don’t underestimate the power of vision and direction. These are irresistible forces, and are capable of transforming what might appear to be unconquerable obstacles into traversable pathways and expanding opportunities.
- Strengthen the individual. Start with yourself. Take care with yourself. Define who you are. Refine your personality. Choose your destination and articulate your Being.”
- “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open. It means deciding to voluntarily transform the chaos of potential into the realities of habitable order. It means adopting the burden of self-conscious vulnerability, and accepting the end of the unconscious paradise of childhood, where finitude and mortality are only dimly comprehended.
- It also means being willing to undertake the sacrifices necessary to generate a productive and meaningful reality (it means acting to please God, in the ancient language).”
What are your thoughts on Jordan Peterson’s philosophies from the book review above? Let us know in the comments below and join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and, get your copy from Amazon!
