There is value in codifying a list of rules to guide your future behavior. You probably do it all the time without realizing. These days, it seems we make more to do lists for the completion external endeavors. For instance, I make to-do lists daily and weekly. I do this for personal and professional tasks. To do what Jefferson's has above requires quite a bit of introspection and reflection to know even where to begin.
It would behoove us to reflect then write down areas where we can improve based on past behavior. Make a quarterly appointment with yourself to sit for quiet introspection about how you can improve. Jefferson's rules are a great starting point for everyone. George Washington, Ben Franklin and others took a crack at it also. MT and I have a framed copy of TJ's rules in our office at home above where we keep our house keys. Once in a while, I find myself breaking the rules. In particular, the first and fourth rules seem to sneak up on me from time to time. The point is I recognize it. I have begun to question myself in the moment. Sometime between TJ's and our own, we discarded the goal of perfecting ourselves (or maybe it's just me). We are caught up in our profession, or like affairs, instead of the business of self-actualization. Let us no longer forgo this noble ambition.
BTG
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