One of my favorite beach reads this summer was a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do. It was quick, fun, and had some great advice (or reminders).
One idea I particularly liked was developing personal policies that could help you determine what to do in a given situation and handle it respectfully. For example, you give the same amount to every fundraiser you are asked to donate to, or never participate in a friend’s Kickstarter because you can’t give to everyone and it wouldn’t be fair. Her rationale is that citing a general rule or policy generalizes your cited reasons for your choice making it less personal, while still being honest and respectful.
I liked the idea of creating “personal policies” for all kinds of things – from friend’s fundraisers to birthday cards to rituals involving the new Star Wars movie to grand gestures for friends in their biggest moments. It can help you make quick decisions, and push you to have more fun!
What personal policies will you create and apply?