The Six Principles of Daily Living

Every morning I search for an inspirational quote to start my day. Some days, that quote becomes part of my writing, some days it simply forms the foundation for the structure of my day.

This morning, I happened upon a quote by James Cash Penny, the founder of The Golden Rule Store in 1902 which eventually became the JC Penny organization today. Penny said, "The friendly smile, the word of greeting, are certainly something fleeting and seemingly insubstantial. You can't take them with you. But they work for good beyond your power to measure their influence." — James Cash Penney

As I read further into the history of JC Penny, I found Six Principles for Daily Living to which he ascribed. Now, I don't make a habit of using someone else's words as the substance of my blog (they're ususually just the thought starters), but these principles have caught my imagination, and inspired me to think about what are my Six Principles for Daily Living.

So, here's the challenge. I'm going to create my own six principles and share them tomorrow. I'd love for you to do the same.

As inspiration, I've pasted in James Cash Penny's Six Principles for Daily Living, as stated on the JC Penny website.

JC Penny's Six Principles for Daily Living

1. I believe that preparation wins. A man must know all about his business; he must know a little more than any other man knows. As a rule we achieve what we prepare for.
2. I believe that hard work wins. The only kind of luck that any man is justified in banking on is hard work, which is made up of sacrifice, persistent effort, and dogged determination. Growth is never by mere chance.
3. I believe that honesty wins. Not only the kind of honesty that keeps a man’s fingers out of his neighbor’s till, but the finer honesty that will not allow a man to give less than his best, the kind of honesty that makes him count not his hours but his duties and opportunities.
4. I believe that confidence in men wins. I have found my most successful associates by giving men responsibility, by making them feel that I relied upon them; and those who have proved to be unworthy have only caused the others, who far outnumbered them, to stand in a clearer light.
5. I believe that the spirit wins. One of the wisest men who ever lived said, ‘The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life.’ Every enterprise I have been interested in demonstrates this fact. It is the spirit of individuals comprising any organization, the spirit of the pioneers in any enterprise or endeavor that will conquer all difficulties and achieve success.
6. I believe in a practical application of the Golden Rule, as enunciated by the Master Teacher on the hillsides of Judea nearly two thousand years ago. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.’"-- Lines of a Layman, 1956

The question is: Do you have principles to live by that are clearly stated and against which you measure everything you do? Are you willing to commit yourself to living a principled life?