How To Create Your Own List Of Precepts

ice cube check yo self

Ice Cube summed it up best, “You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.” Following my article entitled, “Why You Need To Set Your Precepts For A Productive Life,” many people asked me for my personal list of precepts.

I can’t do that.

The internet is far from an anonymous storehouse of ideas and I have no desire to see others walking around in my head, which brings up a few rules governing the use of precepts, if you want to take advantage of this system of self-regulation.

Keep it private

Your personal set of precepts can be very embarrassing and give someone with ill intent way too much insight into how to manipulate you personally. Don’t give them this leverage.

A common SJW tactic for indoctrinating new students at university is to get a religious person with a strong conventional background intoxicated, or high, and then get them to do something that violates their upbringing. This can include forms of bodily mutilation as well. The SJW then beats their target over their head with their sin until they break. Now they have a new convert as the target is too ashamed to go back to their original way of life.

Avoid this by not letting anyone else know what your red lines are. Stay on task and do not waste your time engaging people looking to undermine you. As one of my teachers once said, “stop with the rubbish talk.”

Be generous with others and ruthless with yourself

greek god

Precepts reflect the path of will. This is your life, your journey, and your struggle. Frankly, no one else really cares what you do with your life as long as it doesn’t hurt them. You need to, though. From what I’ve gathered it is really hard to get here in the first place. Make it count. Or as one of my teachers once said,

There comes a time in your life when you will know what it is you will do. What it is you will be. A tingling in your spine and a wave of power washes through you. Hold to this. Embrace this. Become this. As a human being you have the power of the gods in your veins and they envy you. Make them envy you. When you die, do not pass through the heavenly gates with a whimper. Come screaming through with a vitality that is the culmination of all you are. Tomorrow is always there even in death. Today is the moment you are in right now and you will never have it again.

The “be generous” part comes from the fact that most people live their entire lives in the West in a state of perpetual adolescence. They are not adults and cannot be held to the same standard. Likewise, their advice is generally not worth anything.

Keep it positive, unless you have no choice

phil stupid stuff

Going with a negative precept that prevents you from doing something you really like doing will create conflict in your life. Sometimes, you can only describe something from a negative standpoint. Or as Phil in the Hangover said, “We tend to do dumb shit when we’re fucked up.”

In any event, if holding to a given precept makes you angry, depressed, or upset all the time, you need to do some serious reflection on why that is and figure it out.

This is not bad in and of itself, just be aware you are entering territory that brings trouble with it.

Differentiate between a short-term goal and the life you want to build

IMAGE-Ten-Commandments-Tablet-Movie-Prop-Christies-1995x600

Nothing’s wrong with programming in some short-term goals and precepts can change over time as you integrate something into your life completely, just be wise enough to know the difference.

If you are prone to addiction, no longer avoiding intoxicants is probably a formula for trouble and it will need to be a permanent precept. But once you have checked off that MBA you are working on, you can take it off your list.

A sample list of precepts

1. I will engage in one hour of physical activity per day – if you tend to sit on the couch all day, start with this one

2. I will eat low carb six days per week – if you are a fatass the one day off per week will maintain your sanity

3. I will emit one time per week by myself – this is the anti-masturbation clause and will get you to put more energy into game

4. I will avoid intoxicants – no better way to say, “I will avoid the hard stuff,” for smoking “I am a non-smoker” works well

5. I will commit no murder – note the difference between murder and killing

6. I will confront evil and destroy all demons – if you tend to chicken out a lot in the fact of violence use this, however it may cause you to get your ass kicked or worse

7. I will protect innocents – real men do this

8. I will honor God – enough said

9. I will be productive – get out of your mother’s basement and do something

10. I will honor my family – hard to do when they are knuckleheads, not the same thing as giving in to the stupid things they want you to do (i.e. giving your alcoholic dad money for booze)

11. I will aid those in need that follow my lead – if someone wants your help they need to do what you tell them

12. I will sleep eight hours per night when possible – as Charles Atlas said, ”nothing good happens after 10 p.m,” and long-term a lack of sleep is really bad for you

13. I will release on at least one item per day – a reference to a specific meditative technique used to clear out your emotional system

14. I will practice every day for at least five minutes – a reminder to hone your art no matter what

15. I will meditate at least three times per week – a reminder to practice

16. I will avoid pornography and prostitutes – both are a waste of time and destructive to the soul

17. I will always seek to educate myself further – if you are stuck in life it is either a problem with effort or knowledge

18. I will teach those that ask – teaching is a pain, good people do it anyway

19. I will only take what belongs to me – don’t steal

20. I will not covet another man’s wife, house, or possessions – desire can make you its slave in record time, avoid this

21. I will tell the truth or say nothing – if you have a problem with lying

22. I will abide by the laws of divine reward and retribution – the way you live your life tends to attract the same, or “the more I practiced, the luckier I got”

23. I will mentor younger men – good men do this, just make sure the younger man is up to it

24. I will work to be physically strong – the benefit is in the process in terms of what it does for you

25. I will be competent in the bearing of arms – nothing expands your presence like the knowledge that you are not a victim

26. I will fight others with ridicule, shame, the law, and force in that order – if you tend to think with your fists, take this to heart

27. I will earn my MBA/MD/PhD/welder’s certificate as soon as possible – school sucks, just get it done

Aside from these, you can get creative regarding what you want your life to look like. Just keep in mind that this is the whole point of precepts in the first place.

Read More: Why You Need To Set Your Precepts For A Productive Life

28 thoughts on “How To Create Your Own List Of Precepts”

  1. >A common SJW tactic for indoctrinating new students at university is to get a religious person with a strong conventional background intoxicated, or high, and then get them to do something that violates their upbringing.
    Oh man this is crazy true.
    Also a good article in general, hits a lot of important points. (though i may not necessarily agree with much of your sample list, the broad thrusts of your article i do agree with)
    I prefer to not formally codify things. Because i did that for many years and the systems got more arcane and complex.
    Now i’m all about heuristics, and general rules of thumb. Something that generally rings true but i trust myself to recognise when exception need to be made.
    An example of a loose ‘precept’ of mine:
    1) Real men don’t let the weight of a thousand weak hangers on drag them down.
    What i mean is, there is nothing to gain development wise from being in a mentally and emotionally intolerable environment for long periods of time. That shit can fuck with your head. Especially with Gen Y and millenials who do not ‘follow orders blindly’ and instead question everything, while simultaneously having lower self esteem than their past counterparts.
    With the exception of the immediate family, everyone else can be dropped from your life. And even with family, its very much a YMMV type situation. Some negative people you can’t cut out totally but you can limit your time with them, to be only in their presence during the good moments, rather than letting their poisonous invective wreck your mental and emotional state.
    Preserving a low di-stress environment is essential to having a calm rational way of thinking and approaching complex and novel problems.
    Having high eu-stress (stress gained from problem solving areas of interest) is essential for continual progression as well.

    1. Anon1,
      Most people do not need a complete list of precepts like this as they already have them from their upbringing, even if they no longer think about it consciously.
      Maybe the got them in Sunday school or from a man to man talk with their father.
      I included a complete list as an example for folks who are starting from zero.
      In the meditative/yogic community the precepts tend to be a little more involved as the training can make you feel like a Demi-God, particularly in the beginning stages, and this can result in people acting like an ass.
      Thanks for your comments.
      If you are interested in the other work I get involved with check out my blog at yogicengineering.com
      Cheers,
      Rordan

      1. Actually most Millineals have no precepts of their own because they were raised in single mommy, workaholic households, have weak SWPL-SJW fathers, have no church and only have pop culture and mainstream media “morality” (which is basically SJW-ism as a new religious brand). The societal fabric of morality, codes, honor and rules from sources more substantial than HuffPost is basically gone from the U.S.
        We used to be a Christian nation that tolerated gays. Now we’re a gay nation that tolerates Christians.

        1. The blood of the innocents cry out for justice. God hears and He is never mocked. I shudder for the judgement coming to the West.

      1. Daniel,
        One of the most interesting aspects of the culture wars is that the SJWs clearly understand indoctrination and act on this accordingly.
        They know that if they can get to your kids in elementary school that they will have a good chance of getting a convert for life. As an example, the continually pushing sex-ed down to younger and younger kids.
        Notice that the people teaching these courses are almost always from Planned Parenthood or some other wing nut organization. This is also why they are always pushing for a longer school year and for pre-k, as well as earlier, government mandated schooling.
        On the positive side, this why they oppose school vouchers and the homeschooling movement as well.
        Traditional society understands they have a far superior model for living your life and rely upon this inherent superiority to win the argument. But this ends up giving the initiative away to the wingnut faction/SJWs.
        Cheers,
        Rordan

  2. Glad you submitted a follow up article, Rordan. I certainly got something out of the first one. Thanks for sharing some very solid workable points.

  3. < col Hiiiiiii Friends….’my friend’s mom makes $88 every hour on the internet . She has been unemployed for eight months but last month her payment was $13904 just working on the internet for a few hours.
    try this site HERE’S MORE DETAIL
    ????????ty

  4. Excellent article, it helps a lot to see some precepts examples.
    Actually it would be great to get other members add some precepts they find inspiring as well. My contribution:
    – I will not play dead when confronted to a tough situation
    – I will live more in the present, I will put away my smartphone when with friends or family. I will not over think what can happen to me in the next 20 years.
    – I will read 1 book a week on average
    – I will practice my instrument 45mn/day on average
    – I will not be jealous of the success of other people. I will use it as inspiration

    1. I will become the most powerful man that I can be.
      I will become an example for the rest to follow.
      Everything I do, I will do it flawlessly.
      I will become a stone for others to draw courage and inspiration from.
      I will keep a close conversation with God daily.

    2. I practice clarinet 30 minutes a day. I used to practice for hours but that affected other goals. My progress didn’t slow though. I find focus and method of practice to be more important than time spent. What do you play?

      1. Tenor sax.
        At the moment I’m playing my scales and trying some improv, plus some classic music pieces.

  5. 7. I will protect innocents – real men do this

    You mean babies?
    IF you DON’T mean little babies….then drop this feminist shaming language bullshit….Being a whiteknight does NOT make you a “real men”.

    1. Children, the aged, and others who cannot physically defend themselves and have done no wrong fall into this category.
      Evil wins when men sit by and do nothing.
      I’ve seen a nasty tendency of people in the last ten years to sit by and watch as someone else gets beaten to death.
      If you are capable, you need to stop behavior like that.

      1. Children and the aged….no problem.

        …and others who cannot physically defend themselves

        That means jackshit to me other than “Become a Whiteknight and be a Real Man!” bullshit.
        My “help” AT MOST would consist of dialing 911….it will be a cold day in hell before I risk my life to save some skank from her boyfriend or a feminist from getting into trouble.
        Whenever I hear some dude telling guys to be a “Real Man” or to “Man up” it sends alarms bells allover.

        1. “Children and the aged….no problem.”
          Whose children are they? The children may be innocent, but their parents are not. It sucks for a child to pay for the sins of their parents, but the world is a hard place.
          What have the aged done with their lives? They may be defenceless now, but they have had the maximum amount of time to rack up a roster of sins against humanity. The most liberal of philanthropists, generally speaking, are trying to buy their way out of the Hell they know they have earned.

      2. What is your recommended course of action if you see someone being beaten to death?

        1. Englishbob,
          First use your brain.
          If it is the case of a 300lb man stomping on a 150lb man who is prone on the ground, simply yelling at him may be enough to allow the man on the ground to get away. If not, you may need to grab three of your friends and pull him off.
          If you are dealing with a group attack, like with happy slapping in the UK, you need to be careful. It is very easy for a group to kill a single person. If you can’t get other people to help you, identify the leader of the attack and take them down. Sometimes that will break the group momentum and they will scatter.
          The bottom line is do something. Don’t be one of those jerks on a cell phone filming the whole thing and laughing about it.
          Cheers,
          Rordan

        2. I take it back.
          So used to people being jackasses on here I believe I misunderstood your intent. Apologies.
          The reason for my question is that in my experience, unless you truly care about the person being beat to death, you should not get involved.
          There are two reasons for this. First, if you get involved there may be two people getting beat to death and two sets of grieving families. Second, the police are rarely sympathetic to “have-a-go heroes”. Having saved the life of the hapless soul (who for all you know, started it) you may find yourself in the dock for assault and looking at prison.
          Basically, society doesn’t reward heroes so don’t try to be one.

        3. Englishbob,
          Good point.
          Not meaning to be insulting.
          My point was that you need to both think quickly and act quickly. If possible, start by figuring out what you can do that has the least chance of getting you killed or making the situation worse.
          That can be hard to do. You need to evaluate the situation on a case by case basis and keep emotion out of it.
          Judgment calls in situations like this can go wrong easily. Do the best you can.
          Cheers,
          Rordan

        4. i think i’m with you on this one englishbob (although kudos to rordan for giving some good tips if you want to try to break up the assault!).

  6. You give 27 examples. The Bible gives 10 that are primary. Buddhism, which is agnostic with regards to deities, needs only 8.
    Most of your list are not precepts, they are resolutions. A precept is a fundamental principal applicable in all situations. It is a strategy guide to life. A resolution is a tactic for carrying out a precept. It is less abstract, thus more conditional in application.
    If you hold 2 as a precept, rather than a resolution, it will actually prevent you from eating low carb, even when that is the necessary tactic.
    An example of a precept would be: I will take care of myself in body, mind and soul. Under that precept you will watch your diet, exercise and spiritual practice, but remain flexible enough to do so under widely varying real life conditions.
    Not knowing the difference between strategy and tactics is a good way to lose both battles and wars.

    1. Can you please give other examples of precepts, different from the known religious ones?

    2. KFG,
      You bring up excellent points.
      In the context of conventional religious practice most people are passive participants. They show up to church, pray, sing hymns, chant, tithe and go home. Since they are not actively incorporating these things into their lives, the precepts need to be kept simple in order to sink in.
      Now take a look at my first article on the topic. Here the power of autosuggestion is being used to actively guide your life in accordance with your will.
      Keep in mind a precept is nothing more than “a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.” These can be strategic or tactical as needed.
      Another good point is on the low carb diet issue. If you are using nothing more than sheer willpower, you are right denying yourself something can be self defeating. However by harnessing the power of autosuggestion, you essentially reset the background software that you mind has been running for years.
      In most people this software is generated passively and organically. Here you are writing and uploading your own code so to speak.
      Cheers,
      Rordan

  7. Been trying to read this article for five minutes and I keep getting sent to an advertiser’s website.

  8. < col Hiiiiiii Friends….’my friend’s mom makes $88 every hour on the internet . She has been unemployed for eight months but last month her payment was $13904 just working on the internet for a few hours.
    try this site HERE’S MORE DETAIL
    ????????hju

  9. I enjoyed this article. It’s astounding how many individuals attempt to lead happy and fulfilling lives while neglecting to develop a personal system of values based on logic. One must be equipped with a thorough understanding of one’s own beliefs in order to convincingly persuade others of them.

    1. Erich,
      Thanks.
      I always find it funny that people who will obsess over what operating system to put on their laptop never consider optimizing their own operating system.
      I also find it odd that given the frequency with which the “do whatever” crowd self destruct that more people cannot learn the value of self restraint.
      I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
      Rordan
      yogicengineering.com

Comments are closed.