How to Get What You Want Out of Life and Enjoy It

The 7 Principles of Rational Living

Do you ever feel like you’re being lied to? I feel that way most of the time. I don’t watch the news anymore for this reason.

There’s an old expression in Journalism that says, “If it leads, it’s bleeds.” I feel that the more I watch the news, the more negative I become, but it’s not just the news that does this to me, it’s also being surrounded by negative people.

What’s unfortunate is that I think most of us just aren’t strong enough to resist the negativity in our lives, especially the negativity that comes from other people. If you’re not, then you really want to read this book, “Getting What You Want: The 7 Principles of Rational Living,” by Robert J. Ringer.

In this book, Ringer outlines seven different principles that he believes you have to live by in order to not only get what you want out of life but to find happiness too. These principles are:

1. Base your actions on truth
2. Focus on value, not entitlements
3. Make choices with civility, dignity, honesty, and humility
4. Avoid those who drain your personal resources
5. Rid yourself of major encumbrances
6. Develop the self-discipline to act on intellect, not impulse
7. Learn from bad breaks and move on

Some people will find this book to be offensive. After all, it’s about recognizing where you are deluding yourself in your life, owning up to what you are doing, then taking steps to change. The value is that if you do that, you’ll eliminate the obstacles holding you back in your life. Once you eliminate those obstacles, you’ll be able to press forward and achieve what you really want.

One of the most important principles I learned from this book, or at least it was reinforced by this book, is that you can’t change the world. In order to change the world, you have to change other people, or at least most people think you have to change other people.

If you’re one of these people who thinks that you need to change the world in order to be happy or have a purpose, then take control of what you can and change yourself. All of us have the ability to improve, and all of us need to improve.

Regardless of what you are looking for in life, this book will help you achieve it. Not only does it tell you what you need to be doing, it tells you how to do it, and why you should be doing it in the first place.

I’ve read plenty of self help books. I am always working myself because I believe that we are always works in progress. What this book helped me finally do was shed the burdens of the past and not feel guilty for being happy and wanting to live my dreams.

Ultimately, what I learned, is that I am only responsible for me. I can only change me, and in changing me, that not only makes the world a better place, but it leads me to what I want in life, as well as my ultimate happiness. When you stop reacting to life, and start acting on life in a rational way, you will achieve what you really want.

How to Get What You Want Out of Life and Enjoy It