Von's 45 Principles For Successful Living

This right here is the most personal piece of writing I have written thus far. It’s my own Ten Commandments consisting of “rules” on how I live my life and was inspired by John Romaniello’s 65 Rules for Successful Living from Roman Fitness Systems.

For those of you who have never met me before, you’ll feel like you’ve known me for years after reading this list.

What you are about to read below is a compilation of important guidelines on how I live my life. These are my values, my beliefs, and basically everything that I follow on a day-to-day basis. But keep in mind that the content below reflects me, so there are going to be things in here that you might not agree with. Totally fine by me. Just like 99.99% of the population, I’m not perfect.

Anyway, just like Roman suggested his readers to create their own list, I also suggest you to make your own. Take it seriously and make sure to put in the time and effort to making your list. The last thing you want is mediocrity.

My 45 Principles For Successful Living

Never expect anything back when doing someone a favor.
Do good deeds even when nobody is watching.
Learn to speak more than one language. Even when you can only speak a little bit of it, you may never know when it can come in handy.
Try to make friends with everyone. Well, at least 99% of the people you meet (the rest of the 1% are just not “friendable”). You never know who in your network will make a big impact on your life.
Lift weights. If you’re someone who only does cardio, it’s time to change that. Weight training has a lot of health benefits other than just trying to gain muscle.
Lift HEAVY weights.
Know the differences between “there”, “their”, “they’re”, “were”, “we’re”, “where”, “wear”, “its”, and “it’s”. Oh and “then” and “than”… “two”, “to”, and “too”…. and finally, “your” and “you’re”. (Anything else I forgot?)
Be proud but never satisfied.
Smile often. It increases your level of coolness by 1,000%. Makes you a much more approachable person too.
Always stay determined. Want something? Go get it. When I was a teenager I wanted to buy a car so that I wouldn’t have to rely on always using my parents’ car. So that’s what I did. Wasn’t exactly a BMW or an Audi, but I worked my ass off and was able to get a used car a few months later all by myself. Paid in full. Up until now, my determination to get what I want has been one of my biggest traits.
Who cares what people have to say about you. People WILL have something to say. People WILL talk smack. People WILL try to insult you. People WILL hate you. Have a thick skin and just smile right back.
Stay away from girls with no class whatsoever.
Take charge of your life. It’s yours, nobody else’s.
Be indispensable. Whether it’s at your workplace, your business, or even just with a circle of friends, give people a reason to really want and like you.
Read. Education is not supposed to stop after high school or college. Learning is an ongoing process for as long as you are alive.
Tune out negative people. They tend to say a lot of BS. Surround yourself with people that have postive goals and outlooks in life. You dont want people holding you back from happiness and success.
Be curious about everything. Don’t be scared to learn.
Keep up with new technologies. They can help make your life easier.
If you can’t do at least 10 pullups with your bodyweight, you’re a weakling. Start hitting the weights.
Eat mostly whole foods. So anything that has ever walked, swam, flown, or grown out of, the Earth.
Eat and drink lots of protein. It’s the only way for you to get to your fitness goals.
“The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
Love unconditionally.
Wake up in a positive mood. If you don’t, you might as well stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Like the saying goes, karma is a bitch. Always remember that.
Procrastination is also a bitch. I’ve learned the hard way that putting things off for a later time will just bite you back. Get things done as soon as you get the chance.
Know what you want in life. If you’re just going through the motions, you might as well lock yourself in your room.
Drink lots of water every day.
Excel at everything that you do. Try not to be mediocre.
Always try new things at the gym. Make your training fun and don’t do the same routine over and over again.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. And Leonardo da Vinci couldn’t have been any more right. Don’t waste your time complicating everything. Just look at Apple… how do you think they became the biggest company in the world? Yes their products are innovative, but it’s the simplicity of their products’ design and complexity that made them the company they are today. They also have a very small product line.
Invest in things that make your life easier. Coffee makers, iPhones, and police radars are good examples.
Log your workouts. Whether it’s in a written workout journal, Fitocracy, or on BodySpace. Always strive to improve your lifts slowly but surely over time. It doesn’t have to be every workout session just as long as you’re logging something from time to time.
Don’t follow the crowd. A lot of people nowadays follow too much of what’s popular and what’s mainstream. Be yourself and don’t die a copy of what the rest of society is.
Get some sleep. Working hard and playing hard is necessary, but so is sleep if you want to stay sane.
Don’t be TOO nice. People will take advantage of you. It also makes you look weak.
Just do it. You can apply this to anything/everything.
Get rid of stuff you don’t need or use. Sell them, throw them out, give them away, do SOMETHING. The only thing you should be collecting are any type of collectibles or vintage stuff. Not dust.
Give everyone respect.
Deadlift. It’s the manliest exercise out there. Think about it, you can easily cheat by doing partial squats or bench presses. With deadlifts, you either lift up the heavy ass bar or you don’t.
Know what your favorite foods are. If you don’t have any, you’re not living your life.
Don’t watch too much TV.
If you don’t like something, change it. Find a new job if you hate your current one. If you’re not making enough money, find a way to make an extra income. Start exercising if you think you’re too fat. Whatever it is, just do something about it.
Always be proactive. Your decisions and actions are the only things that determine how your life will run.
Read this Bruce Lee story at least once a month (click to enlarge):