Barry's Rules For Life Poem by Barry Middleton

1. Stay busy! Find ways to enjoy your work. Identify activities that you love to do and that give your life a sense of purpose, and invest your energy there.

2. Play! Cultivate a sense of humor. Energize your leisure time. Sing, dance, be a clown. Don't lose touch with your inner child.

3. Invest yourself in friendships. Be a good listener. Share with those you love your hope and enthusiasm as well as your pain and regret.

4. Celebrate life every day. Keep a positive attitude. Be grateful for the simple pleasures like mealtime, social relationships and the beauty in the world.

5. Take care of your body. Eat right. Exercise. Get proper rest and sleep. Have a regular rhythm and schedule in your life.

6. Be tolerant and flexible with others when possible. Forgive little injuries quickly and see no indignity in bending a bit within limits.

7. Open your mind. Live to learn. Do not always be sure that you are right. Learn from mistakes. Try to see the other person's point of view.

8. Have faith. If it eludes you, look for something in the universe that is more important than self.

9. Do the right thing. Follow the Golden Rule. Treat all people and all creatures with kindness, respect, and compassion. Cultivate values.

10. Always have a dream. Focus on the present but plan for the future. Take small steps that will lead to your goal. Visualize success.

11. Nurture your self esteem. Give yourself credit for your good qualities and talents. Believe in yourself and define yourself as a winner and you will become one.

12. Think twice, slow down before you act or react. Impulsiveness usually leads to problems.