In the Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about "Personal Commandments" or personal rules that you follow to make sure you're living the life you WANT to live. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my 12 commandments and I came up with the following list:

1. Be Angela - If nothing else, I need to be true to myself. That's priority #1 for me. If it doesn't feel right, I'm not going to do it.
2. Every problem has a solution - Even when everything seems hopeless there is some kind of solution out there, even if it's just a matter of accepting things as they are.
3. Get to the root of the issue - no more band-aid solutions. Find the root of the problem and fix it.
4. Don't be a martyr - It doesn't do anyone good, regardless of the situation.
5. Find the beauty in the moment - so much easier said than done, right? Even when times are tough, hunt for the beautiful moment.
6. Don't stay in your head - It's generally not a good neighborhood for me to be walking around in. Action brings about resolution. Sitting in the issue in my head only makes the problem worse.
7. Laugh more, panic less - again, easier said than done. Don't let a bad moment ruin the whole day.
8. Slow down - I tend to move at a lightning fast pace and I generally miss little things that would otherwise brighten my day.
9. Staying organized is easier than always getting organized - Truer words never spoken, right?
10. Crave the good stuff, purge the junk - This applies to the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of my life. I'm worth the good stuff. Time to go get it.
11. Do good, feel good - One of those spiritual paradoxes of life... When you do good for other people and stop thinking about yourself, you end up feeling better.
12. Carpe diem! Fear spoils the fun - I will not let fear run my life. Nor will I let it prevent me from taking risks and blossoming in life. Oh Captain my captain!

So there you have it. What would your 12 Commandments be?