Written by Chérie Carter Scott:
Cherie was one of three sisters, who Chérie grew up in a wealthy, but turbulent home with an alcoholic mother and a high-powered father. From the outside, the family appeared to live a life of privilege, but behind closed doors, they dealt with her mother's violent mood swings, while she literally drank herself to death. While educated at some of the nation's finest schools, Chérie's dysfunctional family life left her struggling to find meaning in her life. After her father's death, she and her sisters found that they were disinherited. Life, as they had known it, was over.
Her traumatic childhood was the impetus for Chérie to look for answers to life's deepest questions. Here's how her experience led to the creation of the 10 Rules for Being Human: I realized that what I make of my life was up to me. I began to ask fundamental questions, "What is this notion of happiness? How do I create fulfillment? What is the purpose of life?"
In 1974, when I was 25 years old, I passed through a premature midlife crisis. I had pursued a career in teaching to please my mother, and then a career in acting to please myself... neither one really satisfied me, and I was confused about what was next. The suggestions I received from family and friends only exacerbated the confusion. I didn't know where to turn for answers and so I started to pray for guidance.
After several weeks, I received three clear "messages" from what divine source I was not really sure - that answered my questions. The first stated, "You are a catalyst for discovery." The second said, "You will work in growth and development." The third came through loud and clear, "You have a gift for working with people." I knew these three messages were the answers to my prayers, but I didn't know how to deploy them. These three "revelations" didn't point to an industry or provide me with a job description, so I was left trying to figure out what to do. I formulated a sentence: "I am a catalytic agent who works with people in their growth and development." From that moment on, the messages came to me on a regular basis. They led me to create my seminar, the Inner Negotiation/Self-Esteem Workshop. In addition to the messages, people also started coming to me—to learn how to find their own inner answers.
And so my coaching organization, MMS (Motivation Management Service) was launched in 1974, as well as a subsequent training program to teach other people how to do the same work I was doing. One day, as I sat designing the training program for our MMS Coach Training, the Rules for Being Human came through me onto the paper. I thought, "I have been asking for these answers my whole life, and finally they have been delivered to me." The Rules answered the fundamental question I'd asked, "What is the purpose of life?"
What she came up with is this:
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called "life." Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum. Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, in the course of this endless search, is that there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual. Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life.
Once you have learned the basic lessons taught to you by your own body, you are ready for a more advanced teacher: the universe. You will be presented with lessons in every circumstance that surfaces in your life. When you experience pain, you learn a lesson. When you feel joy, you learn a different lesson. For every action or event, there is an accompanying lesson that must be learned. As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge of Rule Two, therefore, is to align yourself with your own unique path by learning your individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will face in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will lead you into a life that is radically different from others. Don't compare your path to those around you and focus on the disparity between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth. If you are able to rise to this challenge, you can unravel the mystery of your purpose and actually live it. You cease being a victim of fate or circumstance and become empowered—life no longer just "happens to you." When you are working toward fulfilling your true purpose, you discover astonishing gifts within yourself that you may have never known you have. This process may not be easy, but the rewards are well worth the struggle.
Here is an amazing (short) video full of things to think about and apply everyday to your life. Please take a moment to watch it. You will not be disappointed.
http://www.thesearetherulesmovie.com/store
