The Ten Commandments by Which I Live

What is “The Ten Commandments by Which I Live”?

Determining what drives your daily behavior and whether your ideals and values are in full alignment is essential to humanity’s and the individual soul’s mission. Your behavior – your thoughts, words and deeds – is how you actually perform in the world. Your ideals are how you would be, if your behavior were in alignment with your highest aspirations, but your values are the actual determinants of your behavior. Is there a gap between your values and your ideals? This exercise “The Ten Commandments by Which I Live,” will help you determine that and create an action plan to shrink that gap.

How do I practice this?

Look at the following 10 categories: Work Life, Finances, Intimate relationships, Friends and social life, Family, Community and citizenship, Education and learning, Spirituality, Physical self-care, Recreation, and leisure. Write down the value that drives your behavior in each category. To understand how much power this value exercises over you, express it as a commandment; for example, “You shall. . .” or “You shall not. . .” In the area of work, possible commandments might be “You must get promoted and advance,” “You should always give your maximum effort,” or “You should work at what you love.”

What are some of the challenges and commitments of practice?

Write down the value that actually drives your behavior in each category. Don’t record your ideal behavior in that arena, but what actually dictates how you perform there. For example, in the intimate relationships category, your ideal might be “You shall love unconditionally,” whereas your value might be “You shall be sure you are treated fairly and get what you deserve.” Or, in the family category, your ideal might be “You shall put family first,” whereas your value may be “You shall not allow yourself to be taken advantage of.”

What are some tips and reminders?

When you’ve completed the list, examine the commandments and ask yourself, • Which of these commandments are hurting me, and which of them are empowering me? • Which are in alignment with my ideals, and which are driven by fear or the pleasure-pain agenda? • Which result in the happiness derived from doing what matters, and which lead to sadness or exhaustion?

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