12 Rules for life, A book by Jordan Peterson, Reviewed by Zahoor Farooq

Let’s explore twelve principles that if understood properly, have the potential to profoundly enrich your life. A few years ago, the renowned Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson, responded to one of the most thought-provoking answers on Quora: “What are the most invaluable insights that everyone should possess?” In response, Peterson explained 42 guiding rules in a remarkably concise manner, swiftly gaining attention and sparking significant interest. The answers that he gave initiated extensive interactions with the psychologist, and his responses garnered an immense readership, earning him the widespread recognition. Subsequently, he compressed these 42 rules into 12 core rules, culminating in the authorship of a groundbreaking and immensely popular book entitled “12 Rules for Life.”
His fame and name stemmed his book and readers across the world showered praises upon Jordan Peterson. He is frequently invited on talk shows and his opinions about anything are seem to be controversial. But as he said in one of his talk shows that he believes what he finds to be true. Let’s talk about first 6 rules for life which are as under:

1. Stand up straight with shoulders back:
   Jordan Peterson draws an analogy from a lobster, saying that more like humans lobsters have a system of hierarchy. Their level of serotonin is high, allowing them to carry a posture of confidence and dominance. In a hierarchical structure, a dominant position is assigned to those stand upright, exuding an air of confidence which happens to be the strength of lobsters and that is the rationale behind why they savor all the privileges and perks. The human society is also divided in hierarchies, consisting of lower class, middle class and upper class. It is quite unlikely to believe in the fact that we live most of our lives, trying to our get positions better among these classes. By this rule, the author means to acknowledge the realities of life with responsibility, trying to position yourselves to stand out. It all stems from standing upright and emit a sense of self-confidence. Slouching conveys a lack of confidence and that’s where the feeling of fear creeps in. If you want to minimise the problems of life, there is no better way than starting from fixing your posture.
2. Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping:
   You must be aware that animals in the west are well treated. There are people out there on the streets, taking their pets on a walk, feeding and caring for them. In fact their pets receive more attention than their kids. Jordan Peterson takes a dig at this notion, asserting that the person you should hold dearest is none other than yourself, before you bestow your affection upon others. You are responsible for your own goodwill. Upon starting to take a good care of your habits, intellect, hygiene and do everything to make yourself better, your future will be promising.
3. Make friends with people who want the best for you:
   This is a simple rule. It reinforces the statement that makes friends with those who want the best out of you. Being in the company of those who are honest, loyal and committed to our growth can assist us in navigating life’s challenges with less chaos. They always express happiness for our achievements and do not mind celebrating in our victories. As the adage goes, man is known by the company he keeps. Be friends with those whose vision is aligned with your vision this will make your journey easier. It means to eliminate toxic people and associate with those who are your well-wishers.
4. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today:
   In today’s instagram driven world, everyone appears to be good looking, donning elegant attire, bringing to the fore only the pleasant moments of their lives so as to garner tremendous amount of attending. Although it all stand as an attempt to keep their dark times under wraps that which, however are lot heavier than good times. You find people going on vacations, having a whale of time, savouring the luxuries of life, but when you take a sneak peek at their lives, you will find them extremely miserable, tired of struggling constantly fighting battles of life. Most of the problems we face today stem from drawing comparisons, descending us into the abyss of despire. Compare yourself with who you were yesterday rather than you comparing yourself with others. People having a growth mindset will always keep getting better than they were before and nurture their capabilities paving a way for their growth in life.
5. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them:
   Jordan Peterson rebukes parents who are overprotective and always prevents them from doing them which is attuned to their interests. They are of the opinion that they shield their children when the fact is they stunt their growth and progress. You may have observed the children perpetually pursued by excessively vigilant parents, inadvertently shadowing their children to prevent any misstep. Though, this stealthily disrupts their cognitive health. They further fall prey to fear which always looms over the horizon that stops them from maximizing their talent and skills. Parents are highly accountable to create an atmosphere for their children so they can optimise their talent without ever imposing undue pressure on them. Let your children grow and explore in accordance with their own interest.
6. Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world:
   This rule emphasizes the importance of accepting responsibility for our own actions and situations and making changes for the better in our own lives before attempting to change the external environment. Before we begin to criticize other people or the world, Peterson advises that we should first try to identify the aspects of our life that need change and focus on repairing them. This rule inspires readers to take charge of their life and put a priority on their own development. We can improve our ability to face life’s obstacles and have a positive influence on others around us by taking care of our own affairs first. This rule is like other rules in the book, including “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping” and “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today,” are closely related to this one. In general, this rule emphasizes the value of taking personal responsibility and working on oneself as a way to have a beneficial influence on the world.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Zahoor Farooq can be rfeached at zahoorahmad76543@gmail.com