Principles of Life Management
Cal first shared his Principles of Life Management with a group Priests age 16-18 on one of the many campouts he led. The list has been preserved and often referenced by many of those young men and their leaders. That original list, geared towards young men, can be found here.
Earlier in 2017 Cal and his daughter Michelle started working on what he called “Dad’s Maxims”; a similar group of principles geared towards his children and grandchildren. The list below was compiled from the two and shared as a bookmark as a gift from Cal at his viewing and funeral. We hope that the principles that so wonderfully guided his life will continue to bless the lives of many. A printable of the bookmark can be found here.
Cal Richards’
PRINCIPLES OF LIFE MANAGEMENT
“Where I have been successful in living these principles my life has been blessed. I sincerely hope that these concepts will prove helpful in your lives.”
- Get up & get after it
Never ask yourself how you feel when you wake up! Irrelevant 90% of the time. Usually, you can work yourself out of not feeling well.
You will have the great balm of satisfaction and fulfillment of being useful and your focus will be shifted from you and your problems to others and to the great tasks of your life.
- Be organized
Set goals and make commitments for yourself. Review these daily. Define the person you want to be and plan accordingly.
- Practice the attributes of happiness to be happy
Express gratitude, smile, be positive; compliment and encourage others. Don’t whine.
- Engage your work with energy, enthusiasm, and passion
Passion, energy, and enthusiasm combined with persistence are unstoppable and will overcome all obstacles. If you are having a hard time being excited about a worthwhile endeavor, engage the “As If” principle; that is, act as if you were enthused and passionate, and you will become so.
- Perform random acts of kindness every day in an anonymous manner.
This includes giving compliments, praise, and encouragement.
Thank you so much, the Richards family is a great example to me. The high standards that Cal lived each day of his life, will live on in his family. I appreciate all of you sharing some of his memories and stories at the service.