12 Rules For Life is a stern, story-based, and fun self-help booklet for teenagers that lays out a series of simple principles that can help us become more disciplined, conduct better, act with integrity, and balance our lives while still enjoying them to the fullest. 12 Rules For Life has skyrocketed in popularity since its January release and Peterson's accompanying world tour, ruling bestseller charts all over the world. Suddenly, millions of people watch, listen to, and follow Peterson on social media; he has over $60,000 in monthly Patreon donations, and one million copies of his book have been sold.
Take responsibility for your own life before passing judgment on the rest of the world. Life isn't always fair. That is something we all learn in some fashion. Some of us died sooner, some later, some in minor ways, others as a result of frightening strikes. But we all come to know it in the end. He came to the conclusion that there are only four legitimate reactions to life's absurdity:
- Ignorance is similar to a child who refuses to accept reality.
- Like an addict on the hedonic treadmill, I'm addicted to pleasure.
- Suicide.
- Despite everything, I'm holding on.
You should never blame the world, no matter how unjust life seems. Someone has always been through more than you have. Furthermore, even if the future appears grim at times, if you can focus on taking responsibility and keeping your own house tidy, the bad times will pass.
Take care of yourself like you would a loved one. Neglecting oneself, according to Peterson, is neither wise nor smug. It's a type of subversive self-punishment. We do it frequently, and as a result, we tend to look after others more than ourselves. This, according to Peterson, is a result of our failure to cope with the above-mentioned insanity. We, like Adam and Eve, have to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge from time to time, and hence believe we are deserving of punishment. But, as is often the case in life, we were all expelled from the Garden of Eden. That means we should strive for balance rather than simply one or the other, which is why his second rule is to treat yourself like you would a loved one: do what is best for you, even if it does not always make you happy.
Pursue significance via sacrifice rather than pleasure. It's possible to reconcile your bright and dark sides in a variety of ways. Even if you wish to work, it may be necessary to stay in bed to become healthy. Other times, it may include working late on a Friday. Regardless of how it appears, it always entails choosing purpose over fleeting delight through making a sacrifice. Sacrifice isn't about giving up benefits, even though it feels like it when you're doing it. It's about delaying them until you can gain something better, usually a sense of wholeness or fulfillment. As a result, it's excellent willpower training.