And I was not alone. Many of us live our lives by accident stumbling into relationships, wandering into careers, searching for meaning, hoping and praying that we ll get lucky in love, find our fortune, and stay healthy. I spent years like this, living at random, until I learned to live on purpose. My education began the first time I asked Socrates a question. The House Rules presented in this book distilled lessons from the school of life provide reliable strategies for living wisely and well.
Purposeful living embraces both reason and faith.
Reason provides clear goals, while faith and intuition teach us to trust the process of our lives. The Taoist sages remind us that flexibility overcomes rigidity and just as a rushing stream flows around obstacles, so must our purposes adapt to the changing tides of life. Therefore, the House Rules are not rote formulas, but flexible reminders. In living on purpose and acting on principle we become like bamboo strong yet supple yielding to the forces we encounter, then snapping back on track. My responses seem to come not so much from me, but through me.