If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules: Ten Rules for Being Human as Introduced in Chicken Soup for the Soul Hardcover - 1998

From the jacket flap

The Ten Rules For Being Human:
1. You will receive a body.2. You will be presented with lessons.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.4. Lessons are repeated until learned.
5. Learning does not end.6. "There" is no better than "here."
7. Others are only mirrors of you.8. What you make of your life is up to you.
9. All the answers lie inside of you.10. You will forget all of this at birth.
If life is a game, what are the rules? We all know the feeling: In the game of life, why am I the only one who doesn't know how to play? But now, help is at hand, because this wonderful little book will teach you the rules so that you can conquer life's challenges and manage its unpredictable ups and downs.
For one of her workshops several years ago, Cherie Carter-Scott, a corporate trainer and consultant, composed a list of basic truths about life, which she named "The Ten Rules for Being Human." Right away, the Rules resonated with her clients, who photocopied and passed the list to friends and relatives. Within months, Cherie's Rules were in thousands of homes all over the country, and eventually, they were published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and have also appeared in Ann Landers' column. Although there's no formula to help you win the game of life, Cherie's Rules convey a universal wisdom that, once understood and embraced, can contribute to meaningful relationships with ourselves and others, at work and in the home. In If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules, Cherie shares that there are no mistakes in life, only lessons that are repeated. In thoughtful, inspirational essays illustrated with encouraging personal anecdotes, she includes thelessons that can be learned from each of the Rules and offers insights on self-esteem, respect, acceptance, forgiveness, ethics, compassion, humility, gratitude, and courage. Best of all, Cherie shows that wisdom lies inside each one of us and that by putting the Ten Rules for Being Human into action we can create a more fulfilling life.
Chicken Soup for the Soul, they instantly became a favorite section of that wildly successful book. Now Carter-Scott, an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, brings the rules to life by applying them to anecdotes drawn from her own encounters, as well as stories from her family, close friends, and workshop participants. Presented in a personal format, these steps to becoming a satisfied and well-adjusted person are sure to garner an even wider following. -->

Excerpt

Preface

In 1974, when I was twenty-five 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 answer 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. I started seeing people in one-to-one sessions to help them discover their own messages. Shortly thereafter, these same people requested a course in which they could quiet the voices of the mind and listen to their inner spirit. Subsequently, when I received requests from my clients, I responded by creating the programs they requested. People heard their inner directives, received answers to their questions, and, in turn, told their friends. And so my consulting business was launched, 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 the Consultants 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?" Delighted, I decided to include them as a handout in the three-month training course.

In the last twenty-four years, the Rules for Being Human have circled the globe--photocopied and passed from friend to friend, transmitted via the Internet, printed on brochures and on page 81 in the book Jack Canfield wrote, Chicken Soup for the Soul&reg, where the Rules were attributed to "Anonymous." One day Jack called to say he'd heard from Dan Millman, the author of The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, that I was the author of the Rules for Being Human. Jack asked if that was true. When I acknowledged that I was, Jack apologized and offered to give me credit in the next printing.

Years have passed since that day. The most recent message that I have received was to write a book about the ten rules, so they can be passed on to everyone who is looking for a template for living a happy life. My hope is that this book will be a spiritual primer for those who are just setting out on their path, and a gentle reminder for those already well on their way.

Enjoy Ten Rules for Being Human, share them with others, use them to initiate conversations you have always wanted to have. Most of all, apply the Rules to your own life. Learn the lessons, listen to your messages, align with your spiritual DNA, and fulfill all your dreams.

Blessings on your journey,

Chérie Carter-Scott, Ph.D.



Introduction

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."
Helen Keller

Life has often been compared to a game. We are never told the rules, unfortunately, nor given any instructions about how to play. We simply begin at "Go" and make our way around the board, hoping we play it right. We don't exactly know the objective of playing, nor what it means to actually win.

That is what Ten Rules for Being Human is all about. These are the guidelines to playing the game we call life, but they are also much more than that. These Rules will provide you with a basic spiritual primer for what it means to be a human. They are universal truths that everyone inherently knows but has forgotten somewhere along the way. They form the foundation of how we can live a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Each Rule presents its own challenge, which in turn provides certain lessons we all need to learn. Lessons are what you learn when you come up against problems that need to be solved and issues that need to be exorcised. Every person on the planet has his or her own set of lessons to learn that are separate and unique from everyone else's, and these lessons, as you will see in Rule Four, will reappear until they are mastered.

The Ten Rules for Being Human are not magic, nor do they promise ten easy steps to serenity. They offer no quick fix for emotional or spiritual ailments, and they are not fast-track secrets to enlightenment. Their only purpose is to give you a road map to follow as you travel your path of spiritual growth.

These Rules are not the oppressive rules and regulations that tell us what we should or should not do, or think, or say. These Rules are not mandates, but rather guidelines as to how to play the game. There is nothing you absolutely must do. I hope this book will help you to become more aware of them. By learning the valuable lessons and wisdom they offer, your journey on this Earth might just be a little bit easier.



Rule One: You Will Receive a Body

Rule Two: You Will Be Presented With Lessons

Rule Three: There Are No Mistakes, Only Lessons

Rule Four: A Lesson Is Repeated Until Learned

Rule Five: Learning Does Not End

Rule Six: "There" Is No Better Than "Here"

Rule Seven: Others Are Only Mirrors of You

Rule Eight: What You Make of Your Life Is Up to You

Rule Nine: All Your Answers Lie Inside of You

Rule Ten: You Will Forget All of This at Birth

Media reviews

Advance Praise for If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules:

"If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules is a template for living. Everyone needs to read these words of wisdom. It's 'simple' yet important stuff."
--Richard Carlson, Ph.D., author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

"How wonderful it would be if we were all given Chérie Carter-Scott's ten rules the day we were born. Chérie has been teaching these rules for over twenty years. In her seminars, these rules have resonated with thousands of people. If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules are universal truths that all of us can learn to live happier lives that are full of self-acceptance, understanding, love, success, and the inner knowing that we're all in this game together, on the same team. The door to a satisfying life lies within each of us, and Chérie's eternal inspiring message provides the key."
--Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

"The Ten Rules for Being Human are entertaining and fun--but more than that, they're TRUE."
--Marianne Williamson, author of The Healing of America and A Return to Love

"If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules will free you to wake up to your no-limit life."
--Mark Victor Hansen, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Citations

• Library Journal Prepub Alert, 04/01/1998, Page 70