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TEN NATURAL LAWS

Natural laws, like gravity, are fundamental patterns of nature and life. They describe things as they really are, as opposed to how we think they are or how we wish they were. Whether we agree with them or not, these laws ultimately govern our lives and operate independent of our awareness or wishes. Obeying them can help us gain control of our lives, improve our relationship, increase our personal productivity, and experience inner peace.

Law 1 : You control your life by controlling your time . Controlling our lives means controlling our time, and controlling our time means controlling the events in our lives. You need to stop thinking "time management" and start thinking "event control". Too often we think time management has something to do with our watches. The only thing a watch tells you is how long it takes the sun to go across the sky. That's an event over which we have no control. The real issue is : What events can I control? Focusing on controlling the events of our lives makes all the difference.

Law 2: Your governing values are the foundation of personal success and fulfillment. Each of us lives according to a unique set of governing values. These values are the things that are most important to you. They are represented by the clearest answers you can give to these questions: What are the highest priorities in my life? and Of these priorities, which do I value most? Even though our governing values are our highest priorities, there often exists a gap between these ideals and our present realities. Our performance relating to those values is never perfect. But as we improve, we bring together what we do and what we value.

Law 3 : When your daily activities reflect your governing values, you experience inner peace. Once you identify your governing values, you must do something about them. Your values must find expression as measurable and achievable long-range and intermediate goals, which can then be translated into daily tasks that will move you toward their achievement. As you concentrate your time and energy on achieving tasks that have real meaning in your life, you become more productive and achieve inner peace- a sense of fulfillment and unity.

Law 4 : To reach any significant goal, you must leave your comfort zone. External or physical comfort zones are easy to understand. But they are by no means the only type of comfort zones we have. Sometimes we develop mental, emotional, social, or psychological comfort zones. These can be much more difficult to leave than our physical comfort zones. Leaving our comfort zones requires effort and commitment.

Law 5 : Daily planning leverages time through increased focus. Investing a little time in certain activities can free up time throughout the rest of the day. A daily planning session can act as a time level. The cost is small - only 10 to 15 minutes a day- ut you will enjoy many benefits all day long., such as clearly defined tasks with deadlines, increased focus on more important tasks, less time spent between projects, and a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Law 6: Your behavior is a reflection of what you truly believe. All of us have had instances where we thought we believed something to be true, but in fact were doing nothing about it. What often happens is that we have another belief at work that is overriding or negating the belief we consciously know is true. If we can remove the deep-seated incorrect belief, then our behaviour will start to come in line with the correct belief. In general, our behaviour reflects what we really believe, and if our behaviour doesn't reflect a consciously stated belief, we should take a careful look at our conflicting beliefs.

Law 7: You satisfy needs when your beliefs are in line with reality. How can you tell whether a belief, attitude, or opinion is correct? If the results of your behavior meet one or more of your basic needs, you probably have a correct belief. Conversely, if the results do not meet your need, you can bet the belief in question is incorrect. If we can attack incorrect beliefs and destructive behaviors without attacking ourselves or others, we can solve most of the human relations and productivity problems we face.

Law 8 : Negative behaviors are overcome by changing incorrect beliefs. Incorrect beliefs will produce negative self-defeating behaviors. Left unchecked, negative behaviors will defeat your attempts to take control of your life. Any negative behavior is a symptom of a reactive way of life. Negative behavior is often the result of trying to meet needs with incorrect or inappropriate beliefs. Because the beliefs are not rooted in reality, they cannot produce behavior and results that will satisfy the unmet need. As we apply in appropriate behavior to satisfy the need, we get trapped in a downward spiral.

Law 9: Your self-esteem must ultimately come from within. We all seek to feel good about ourselves and validate our feelings of self-worth. But if we believe that our self-worth depends on the approval of others, we may act contrary to our deepest values. This can be a highly reactive way of living, and incredibly stressful. Only when we live in accordance with our own values will we find the self-esteem and fulfillment that come from within.

Law 10: Give more, and you'll have more. When we have an excess of anything -wealth, talent, knowledge, ability, experience - we have an obligation to share that excess with others in ways that make a difference. If we all shared in this way, most of the world's problems could be solved. When we find ways to share our excess with others - especially if they show through hard work, loyalty, creative talent, or even friendship that they deserve a portion of it-that excess will grow faster than if we hoard it for ourselves.

These 10 laws work. I know this from my own experience and from the experiences of thousands of others who have put them to the test.