雪莉·克朗奇/Sherrie Crouch
The laws of life are a set of guidelines that individuals try to follow throughout their lives. The laws that each person lives by are often determined by the way they were taught as a child. As people grow older, however, they begin to branch away from the guidelines of their parents and start to conceive their own laws. As a young adult, I feel as though I have begun my separation from my parents and have started developing my own beliefs. There are several laws that I live by, but the three most important are receptiveness, compassion, and the pursuit of excellence.
One of the most important rules I try to live by is being receptive. By this I mean not being judgmental. I think every person should have a chance to prove him/herself before being criticized and judged. I also believe in giving people more than one chance. Everybody makes mistakes; we should be allowed to make up for them. A problem this world faces is that people make decisions by listening to what everyone else has to say about someone. If we would actually take time to get to know someone we might find that that person is completely different from what we thought.
Another guideline I live by is being compassionate, which goes hand in hand with being receptive. Being compassionate includes being kind to others, showing love and affection, treating others with respect, and just being honest. All these factors can make or break any relationship, whether it be among friends, parents and children, lovers, or husband and wife. Leaving out just one of these guidelines could wreak havoc on the best of relationships. Getting upset or saying something hurtful will not ruin the relationship, but if a relationship becomes a constant apology session it is destined to fail. If I follow the Golden Rule, "Treat others as you would want them to treat you." I should not have a problem being compassionate.
The final rule I live by is the pursuit of excellence. Pursuing excellence is a difficult task. Each day I have to find the courage to face the many challenges the day will bring. "Courage is not defined by those who fought and fell, but by those who fought, fell, and rose again." I believe in being responsible for every decision and action that I make along the path to success. Sometimes I make mistakes and bad decisions, but I am able to overcome them by striving to do better the next day. Some people have to learn from their own mistakes while others learn from the mistakes of others. The most important factor in the pursuit of excellence is perseverance. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." When my world is coming unwound, I give everything a little extra effort. "Never let your head or your heart drop for that is when hope is lost."