Ethos
- Leave everything better than you found it. That includes physical spaces, but more importantly, it applies to your relationships, whether platonic, familial, or romantic.
- Continue to educate and edify yourself to the extent you are able, insofar as you do not burn yourself out. Personal growth, like practice, is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Should your spirit need time to heal and rest, grant yourself the time to do so however you see fit, so long as it does not break any other promise.
- Above all, strive to be content. (YouTube video - marimba solo whose name inspired the phrasing of this edict)
I do want to point out that last edict, as I think it applies somewhat differently to folks like me. By "folks like me," I mean extreme, nearly-to-the-point-of-detriment people-pleasers. I am well aware that I am what Enneagram folks call a "Peacemaker." And sure, maybe Enneagrams are totally bunk. I don't actually prescribe to any of the mindset beyond the type definitions, but I do believe that the types themselves are decently defined. At any rate, the definition of what the model considers a "Peacemaker" is rather apt--I always strive to ensure that I am never the cause of someone's "riling up," and will go out of my way, often way too far, to make sure folks are happy and satisfied with me and my work. I try to keep it in check, but it's my default state and that's unlikely to change any time soon.
The reason I bring this up is because, while I truly do believe that last edict to be the most important, I also think that it lands a little differently with Peacemakers. I don't really ever find myself in a place of contentment if any relationships of mine are strained. I don't find myself content if I feel that I am lacking in my self-education or practice ethic. I don't find myself content if I have been overworked and have not had time to recharge or heal. So, in one way, it's a redundant promise because if I follow the other three promises, it takes care of itself. In another funny way, it's the only promise that matters, since I will not be content if I allow anything to fall out of place, including any of those other edicts, which makes writing them down redundant.