The Golden Rule:
7 Tips

The Golden Rule: 7 Tips

Ever since I was young, even long before I heard about the Law of Attraction and ‘like attracts like’, my motto was ‘What you give, is what you gonna get’. Or fancier stated in the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.

I love the simplicity of The Golden Rule and it is true: treating others as you would want to be treated in their place will ultimately lead to your own happiness.

You help a stranger in need, you treat your family with kindness, you go the extra mile for your co-workers or customers. All great for the people you help and are kind to. The side effect is that people undoubtedly will treat you better too.

 
Beyond that it boosts your self confidence: you will find a growing satisfaction in yourself, a belief in yourself, a knowledge that you are a good person and a trust in yourself.

On a day-to-day basis, living by the Golden Rule will make you a better person, will make those around you happier, and will make the community you live in a better place. So here they are, seven practical tips for living the Golden Rule in your daily life:

 
#1
Practice empathy

Make it a habit to try to place yourself in the shoes of another person. Any person. Loved ones, co-workers, people you meet on the street. Really try to understand, to the extent that you can, what it is like to be them, what they are going through, and why they do what they do. Everyone has his own story.

 
#2
How would you want to be treated?

The Golden Rule doesn’t really mean that you should treat someone else exactly as you’d want them to treat you… it means that you should try to imagine how they want to be treated, and do that. So when you put yourself in their shoes, ask yourself how you think they want to be treated, in their situation.

 
#3
Be friendly

When in doubt, be friendly. Friendly people are excited to meet new people, appear approachable to friends and acquaintances, and are the kind of people who can just start chatting up a person on an airplane, in line at the drugstore, or when they’re stuck on the bus. Being friendly is all about making people feel comfortable in your orbit.

 
#4
Be helpful

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who will only do exactly what’s expected of them, and then there are those who are always on the lookout for ways to contribute and make life easier for others. It is this second group that is more likely to make and sustain positive relationships, which are the backbone of a fulfilling personal and professional life.

 
#5
Stop criticism

We all have a tendency to criticize others, whether it’s people we know or people we see on television. However, ask yourself if you would like to be criticized in that person’s situation. The answer is almost always ‘no’. So hold back your criticism. Everyone is walking their own path.

 
#6
Be the change

Gandhi told us to be the change we want to see in the world. It doesn’t apply to grand changes such as poverty, racisme or violence… it also applies on the smaller scale of all interactions between people. Do you want people to treat each other with more compassion and kindness? Then let it start with you. Even if the world doesn’t change, at least you have.

 
#7
Notice how it makes you feel

Notice how your actions affect others, especially when you start to treat them with kindness, compassion, respect, trust, love. But also notice the change in yourself. Do you feel better about yourself? Happier? More secure? More willing to trust others, now that you trust yourself? These changes come slowly, but if you pay attention, you’ll see them!

 
Sharing is caring!
Your turn…
Do you believe in the Golden Rule? Do you follow it?
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Mirjam Stoffels

Founder of seven2success, author of ‘Daily Little Secrets to Success’ and guest blogger at TEDxRoermond, Project Eve and 365 dagen succesvol. In my mission to make seven2success the biggest platform of knowledge and inspiration for women, I want to inspire you with our content! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Let’s to connect! And do you want to inspire other women? Write for us!

 

 
Do you want to stay in the know?
Join the seven2success community!

 
Love the article? Share it with your friends and use the buttons below!
Because ‘There is no social without sharing!’

Related Posts

Follow us

Share!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*


five − = 3

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>