Commandant's Rules
Rule Number 1: LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Get used to it!
Rule Number 2: THE REAL WORLD CARES LITTLE FOR YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. Do not depend on others to motivate you. Do not expect a pat on the back or a reward for doing the right thing because doing the right thing needs no reward. To be successful you must gain self-discipline and self-motivation and not depend on others to motivate you to be the best you can be.
Rule Number 3: DEFINE SUCCESS BEFORE YOU PURSUE IT. Success does not equal wealth. Wealth is sometimes a by-product of success. Success in life is best defined as happiness, contentment, a feeling of accomplishment, and the satisfaction one gets when he or she knows they have done the best they can each and every day of their life. In other words, be true to yourself.
Rule Number 4: IF YOU THINK SCHOOL IS TOUGH, JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A BOSS. Learning as much as you can learn, to include good work habits, self-discipline, self respect, respect for others and good character is your job until you leave school. Once in the world you will be expected to perform or the world will pass you by.
Rule Number 5: SET LOFTY BUT ATTAINABLE GOALS. No job is beneath you when you are first starting out as long as you have set and always pursue lofty life’s goals. Ultimate goals should have intermediate goals that will help you stay on the path you have set for yourself. Without goals and a set path to achieve them you may never reach your full potential and you will never know when and if you ever get off track.
Rule Number 6: IT IS NOBODY’S FAULT BUT YOUR OWN. You cannot blame your parents, your teacher, your environment, or anyone or anything for your failures. You are in charge of your own destiny in every measure. Your parents, your teachers, family, and close friends can teach, suggest, advise, and mentor but they cannot be blamed if you ultimately fail. You and you alone will determine your own success or failure.
Rule Number 7: REAL LIFE IS NOT DIVIDED INTO SEMESTERS AND YOU DO NOT GET SUMMERS OFF. Time off in school is given for many reasons to include time off for rest and relaxation. However, the mind is at work even when you are at rest and not using your free time to continue to learn and expand your horizons is a waste of valuable time. Remember, on average you only have about 75 years on this planet. That equals only 900 months, or 27,000 days, or 648,000 hours, or only 38,880,000 minutes to learn all you can learn, be all that you can be, and live a happy and meaningful life.
Rule Number 8: TELEVISION AND COMPUTER GAMES ARE NOT REAL LIFE. Problems are not solved in 30 minutes. Failures cannot be fixed by restarting the game. In real life you are expected to work, be productive, and make something of yourself. Tackle life’s challenges with vigor and courage and remember anything worth achieving takes time, dedication and effort on your part.
Rule Number 9: ENJOY THE JOURNEY. Life is best lived when you relish the journey and not necessarily just the destination. For all of us the destination is always the same whereas each journey in life is different. Life is real and, yes, life can be hard. But as hard as it may get, it is worth every breath that we are privileged to take. So embrace your journey through life and live each moment to its fullest measure.
Rule Number 10: RESPECT BREEDS THE SAME. Respect for yourself and others are contagious and can spread like wildfire. When disrespected, show respect and you will often see a miraculous change in those who have confronted you. Respect and take pride in yourself for it is only you that you must be better than.
Rule Number 11: BE BETTER THAN YOURSELF AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER GUY. How often do you hear, “That guy gets all the breaks” or “I want what he has”? You are in competition with only one person in this world…yourself. Concentrate on being better than who you are each and every day and don’t worry about what others may get or may have. The world is too big to be in competition with everyone else. Challenge yourself. Know yourself. Respect yourself. Don’t worry about what others may have or do.
Rule Number 12: YOUR HONOR IS ALL YOU REALLY HAVE. Be a man of honor because it is the only thing you can truly call your own throughout your life. Honor is earned, not given, and is, therefore, something precious to have and keep. Remember those you admire most and ask yourself why. The reason is that people truly value a person of honor because it is seen as a rare and precious thing.
Rule Number 13: THERE IS GOOD IN ANY SITUATION. Life is sometimes hard and the path you are on may not be the one you like. Remain focused on your goals and remember there is always good in any situation you may be in…all you need do is find it. Complaining can never solve a bad situation. Whereas, seeing positive possibilities within any given situation is the mark of an intelligent, mature, and self-reliant person who will easily be able to handle anything life may throw at them.
Rule Number 14: “INSTANT GRATIFICATION” IS NOT WITHOUT ITS PRICE. Truly something worth having is worth earning and waiting for. Those who seek instant gratification are those who do not truly aspire for greater things in life and are those who often times fail. Patient pursuit will always get you your quarry, whereas pursuit without forethought, insight and patience is always fraught with danger and is the mark of a truly ignorant person.
Rule Number 15: EVERYONE HAS TWO LIVES. The sooner you realize that you, like everyone else, has two lives, the easier life will become. Each of you has a personal life which encompasses family and friends. Equally, each of you also has a professional life which includes all professional acquaintances and relationships. Always try to keep your personal and professional life separate. If you find yourself getting personally upset when being professionally counseled for apparent shortcoming then you are taking it personal. IT ISN'T PERSONAL...ITS PROFESSIONAL. So take it as such and just fix the shortcoming without getting emotionally upset about it. By becoming personally upset over professional critizism, you are displaying a lack of maturity and understanding of what it is to be a professional. Whereas not allowing your personal emotions to cloud the professional issue at hand will allow you to analyze and fix the problem with clear thought and focused effort.
Rule Number 2: THE REAL WORLD CARES LITTLE FOR YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. Do not depend on others to motivate you. Do not expect a pat on the back or a reward for doing the right thing because doing the right thing needs no reward. To be successful you must gain self-discipline and self-motivation and not depend on others to motivate you to be the best you can be.
Rule Number 3: DEFINE SUCCESS BEFORE YOU PURSUE IT. Success does not equal wealth. Wealth is sometimes a by-product of success. Success in life is best defined as happiness, contentment, a feeling of accomplishment, and the satisfaction one gets when he or she knows they have done the best they can each and every day of their life. In other words, be true to yourself.
Rule Number 4: IF YOU THINK SCHOOL IS TOUGH, JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A BOSS. Learning as much as you can learn, to include good work habits, self-discipline, self respect, respect for others and good character is your job until you leave school. Once in the world you will be expected to perform or the world will pass you by.
Rule Number 5: SET LOFTY BUT ATTAINABLE GOALS. No job is beneath you when you are first starting out as long as you have set and always pursue lofty life’s goals. Ultimate goals should have intermediate goals that will help you stay on the path you have set for yourself. Without goals and a set path to achieve them you may never reach your full potential and you will never know when and if you ever get off track.
Rule Number 6: IT IS NOBODY’S FAULT BUT YOUR OWN. You cannot blame your parents, your teacher, your environment, or anyone or anything for your failures. You are in charge of your own destiny in every measure. Your parents, your teachers, family, and close friends can teach, suggest, advise, and mentor but they cannot be blamed if you ultimately fail. You and you alone will determine your own success or failure.
Rule Number 7: REAL LIFE IS NOT DIVIDED INTO SEMESTERS AND YOU DO NOT GET SUMMERS OFF. Time off in school is given for many reasons to include time off for rest and relaxation. However, the mind is at work even when you are at rest and not using your free time to continue to learn and expand your horizons is a waste of valuable time. Remember, on average you only have about 75 years on this planet. That equals only 900 months, or 27,000 days, or 648,000 hours, or only 38,880,000 minutes to learn all you can learn, be all that you can be, and live a happy and meaningful life.
Rule Number 8: TELEVISION AND COMPUTER GAMES ARE NOT REAL LIFE. Problems are not solved in 30 minutes. Failures cannot be fixed by restarting the game. In real life you are expected to work, be productive, and make something of yourself. Tackle life’s challenges with vigor and courage and remember anything worth achieving takes time, dedication and effort on your part.
Rule Number 9: ENJOY THE JOURNEY. Life is best lived when you relish the journey and not necessarily just the destination. For all of us the destination is always the same whereas each journey in life is different. Life is real and, yes, life can be hard. But as hard as it may get, it is worth every breath that we are privileged to take. So embrace your journey through life and live each moment to its fullest measure.
Rule Number 10: RESPECT BREEDS THE SAME. Respect for yourself and others are contagious and can spread like wildfire. When disrespected, show respect and you will often see a miraculous change in those who have confronted you. Respect and take pride in yourself for it is only you that you must be better than.
Rule Number 11: BE BETTER THAN YOURSELF AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER GUY. How often do you hear, “That guy gets all the breaks” or “I want what he has”? You are in competition with only one person in this world…yourself. Concentrate on being better than who you are each and every day and don’t worry about what others may get or may have. The world is too big to be in competition with everyone else. Challenge yourself. Know yourself. Respect yourself. Don’t worry about what others may have or do.
Rule Number 12: YOUR HONOR IS ALL YOU REALLY HAVE. Be a man of honor because it is the only thing you can truly call your own throughout your life. Honor is earned, not given, and is, therefore, something precious to have and keep. Remember those you admire most and ask yourself why. The reason is that people truly value a person of honor because it is seen as a rare and precious thing.
Rule Number 13: THERE IS GOOD IN ANY SITUATION. Life is sometimes hard and the path you are on may not be the one you like. Remain focused on your goals and remember there is always good in any situation you may be in…all you need do is find it. Complaining can never solve a bad situation. Whereas, seeing positive possibilities within any given situation is the mark of an intelligent, mature, and self-reliant person who will easily be able to handle anything life may throw at them.
Rule Number 14: “INSTANT GRATIFICATION” IS NOT WITHOUT ITS PRICE. Truly something worth having is worth earning and waiting for. Those who seek instant gratification are those who do not truly aspire for greater things in life and are those who often times fail. Patient pursuit will always get you your quarry, whereas pursuit without forethought, insight and patience is always fraught with danger and is the mark of a truly ignorant person.
Rule Number 15: EVERYONE HAS TWO LIVES. The sooner you realize that you, like everyone else, has two lives, the easier life will become. Each of you has a personal life which encompasses family and friends. Equally, each of you also has a professional life which includes all professional acquaintances and relationships. Always try to keep your personal and professional life separate. If you find yourself getting personally upset when being professionally counseled for apparent shortcoming then you are taking it personal. IT ISN'T PERSONAL...ITS PROFESSIONAL. So take it as such and just fix the shortcoming without getting emotionally upset about it. By becoming personally upset over professional critizism, you are displaying a lack of maturity and understanding of what it is to be a professional. Whereas not allowing your personal emotions to cloud the professional issue at hand will allow you to analyze and fix the problem with clear thought and focused effort.
