NorthOfNorth wrote on Nov 5
th, 2021 at 2:00pm:
Gordon wrote on Nov 5
th, 2021 at 1:52pm:
I've skim read his first 12 rules books, and as a reasonably successful motivated person, I found it incredibly dull because it's really just good old grandma/grandpop wisdom for people who are in a life funk who may not have had a wise mentor to get them going in life.
That is an accurate summary of those I have met who do not need rules for life, as they already live a balanced and successful life.
All three of his books are dense, hard to plough through and often eccentric.
However, it's undeniable that his books and his persona (at least between 2017-2019) has had a dramatic effect on the lives of many.
I attended one of his shows when he was in Australia.
His presence and performance was striking... At one moment stern like an OT prophet, the next striding across the stage in a mania like Kramer from Seinfeld.
Sounds like you've invested more time into him than I but what you described sounds ideal. I think it's fair to say he has the magnetism of a cult leader, yet his message is absolutely spot on. I'm yet to read a decent critique of any one of his 12 rules for life, apart from seriously twisted haters.
"Stand up straight with your shoulders back."
"Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping."
"Make friends with people who want the best for you."
"Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today."
"Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them."
"Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world."
"Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)."
"Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie."
"Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t."
"Be precise in your speech."
"Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding."
"Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street."