Thanks Joe, These are very good additions to this list. Maintaining a sense of order in life helps us maintain a simpler life. The statement keep your house in order means both our physical dwelling as well as our inner house, or our mind. When there is chaos in our lives, there are probably energy leaks, and a sense of order helps secure these leaks. When we pay our bills on time, keep in good health, etc., we keep bill collectors off our backs. Maintaining good health keeps our bodies and minds tuned for their best efficiency. I am not sure what you mean by family obligations. I may be reading too much into the word obligation here, but here goes anyway. Sometimes we do have obligations that are our willing commitment to care for our family and friends. This is quite healthy. On the other hand, sometimes we are trapped in what seem like obligations, but may be codependent behavior that cause us untold grief and energy expenditure. I don't suggest jumping ship necessarily, but if we can get away from the situation at least for a short time every day, then we stand to benefit. I guess what I am saying here is that sometimes family obligations can drag us down if we let them, but if we work at it, then there is a way to at least get some respite from these things. Set aside some time to close the door, take the phone off the hook, tell everybody to leave you alone for even a half hour a day so as to have some time to really go within. In statement 5 you cover this nicely by suggesting to keep your daily life as simple as possible. We may not be able to avoid all distracting obligations or engagements, but we can limit how much control they have over us.

As far as humor goes, by all means laugh when you can, it may save your life. It is easy to get caught up in the rat race. The ego loves it, if nothing else just to have something to complain about. I have taken some things so seriously that they stopped me in my tracks. I have poured energy into anxiety at being made late by a traffic jam, and allowed it to ruin my day when there was nothing I could do about it. At the same time, I have ridiculed others getting irate at the same situation . Some things can be serious business when applied to our own lives, but ridiculous overreaction when it is someone else. If I can laugh at myself it often dispels the anxiety altogether. I am spared a huge energy loss. I admit I am rarely able to do this on my own. I am fortunate to have a wife who gladly points out when I overreact, or get on a rant, or any number of other energy wasters I can indulge in. By all means, laugh like hell. If nothing else, others will think you have lost it, and they will leave you alone.

Keep building on this list, and keep the comments coming!