Oath for Life

Oath for Life You Are Not Alone!

09/09/2014

If you know the importance of Big 6 questions, you came to the right place;
What motivates you? What energises you? What makes you happy? What is your aim in life? What are your goals? What is your oath for life?
Here you can find an example/template for your Oath. Maybe yours will be much different, but reading "the Oath for Life" will surely help you in identifying your Manifesto or "Oath for Life".

07/27/2012

You Are Not Alone!

07/24/2012

Share “MyOath” to make this world a better place. Also share your thoughts and ideas about “MyOath” on social media.
( on twitter)
Oculi plus vident quam oculus. (Many eyes see better than one eye.)

07/24/2012

I walk day and I walk night…
Cerca, trova. (Seek and you shall find.)
Nulla tenaci invia est via!

07/24/2012

Keep on Walking!
Nil desperandum! (Never give up)

07/24/2012

Keep on Walking!
I walk day and I walk night…

In 1989, I took an oath and that has made all the difference…

Verba volant, scripta manent.

I can easily say that my oath and the values behind this oath helped me tremendously in my life and that my oath was and still is my university. The reason why my oath turned out to be so powerful for me was that it helped me to change my attitude towards life. “Change your attitude and the whole world changes”, I strongly believe in this.

Unfortunately, I don’t consider myself possessing thoroughly all these good values that I mention in my oath. But, I know it was very vital to have these values set as a goal in life. Also having a “written down” path for myself was very functional for me.

Qui scribit, bis legit

Other than walking in the direction, I don’t want to present myself, as having all these great values. However, keep in mind; “The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life”.

I also recognize that everybody might need a different path for their journey.

Quod medicina aliis, aliis est acre venenum

At the end, you have to believe in your goal, stick to your oath and values. But, I thought my path might be useful for others as a starting point. So, I decided to share my oath. I hope to improve my oath as well as myself in the future. I believe that “great dialogues start with a passionate monologue” and will be very interested in likeminded peoples’ views on life.

I originally wrote my oath 20 years ago. With improvements, the oath has changed a lot from the original version. You can find the 2009 version of my oath on this page. As Gandhi says; “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”. I try to take this oath each year, so that I remind myself to stay focused on my goals and act accordingly so that I can get the harmony in my life.

Repetitio est mater studiorum
See “my mission in life” for details.

07/24/2012

my mission in life
My Treasure (my mission in life)

My mission is to sing the lyrics from Cure’s song “Treasure” at the end of my journey; “Remember I was always true, remember that I always tried, remember I loved all and you, remember me and smile”.

I always believed that; “how I precede my journey, is more important than where I reach”. My mission in life is not a destination based success (or reaching a specific point), but having a worthy life as close as possible to these values (which I set as my goals). My values declare my oath and my oath declares my mission in life. In this context, my values are my true goals. Also, I want to make my life my message, which might help the spread of values that I believe in.

Like Asik Veysel said; “I am on a long and winding road, I walk day and night.” I will try, as Einstein said; “not to become a man of success but rather a man of value” on this road.

Visita Interiora Tellus Rectifacando Inveniens Occultam Lapidem.
See “4paths” for a quick summary

07/24/2012

4 Paths (for a quick summary)
Four Paths

My road has just 4 paths. When I follow these four paths, I will be able to keep my oath.

The 4 paths to my oath:
“Be True”
“Try”
“Love” &
“Be Social”

sed vitæ discimus
See “my path, my values” for detailed descriptions.

07/24/2012

my path, my values
winding road (my path, my values)
Non fui, fui, non sum

I believe that I can be a better person and have a more meaningful and happy life by focusing on four important paths. And there are some essential values that I should possess to excel in each of these paths. In my oath you can find my values which will help our journey on each of these paths.

An easy way to remember these four paths is remembering Cure’s lyrics from the song “Treasure”.

“Be True”, “Try” and “Love, Be Social”:

1) Be True: To have a healthy and balanced “inner communication”, to become the person that we want to become and thrive personally over the long term

2) Try: To serve our constituencies better (we need right effort for better results)

3) Love, Be Social: To build lasting and rewarding relationships

I find Greg Brodskys’ paragraph below a good way to describe, what I used in my framework. I think he has the same idea, but defines it simpler;

“The first responsibility of a manager is to manage oneself. Well-rounded executives cultivate states of mind, body, and spirit that enable them to sustain their personal well being while successfully addressing unprecedented situations. By developing themselves, they serve their constituencies better, thrive personally over the long term, build lasting and productive relationships, and become the people that they want to become.”

My values which I believe will help me to have a better life are below.

Be True
1) True (Integrity)
2) Positive
3) Strong & Calm (Equanimity)
4) Happy & Joyful
5) Patient
6) Fair
7) Health Conscious
8) Worthy

Try
1) Focused on Continuous Improvement
2) Committed & Motivated
3) Cooperative
4) Hardworking
5) Effective
6) EQ Smart (Emotional Intelligence)
7) IQ Smart (Intelligent / Thoughtful)
8) Having a Strategic View

Love, Be Social

1) Compassionate
2) Giving & Sharing
3) Radical
4) Friendly
5) Loving
6) Trusting
7) Leader
8) Pure & Simple

Like Van Gogh says; “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”. Consider this list as a puzzle. The trick is to complete the whole puzzle. Only when you bring all the pieces together, you could see the beauty and benefit of this puzzle. So the solution lies in having all these values, together in a coherent way.

Cura ut valeas!

Also, I am well aware of the difficulty in possessing all these wonderful values, but “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

Omnium rerum principia parva sunt
See “my oath” for detailed descriptions of these values.

07/24/2012

my oath

Thirty nine years on this road (my oath)

“Remember I was always true, remember that I always tried,
remember I loved all and you, remember me and smile”.

Be True
I will be sincere; my most important value is integrity.
I will be true, honest and sincere. Honesty is the first chapter of my book of wisdom. I shall never lie. I will be true to myself and true to others. I believe in myself, and will be my true self, natural & genuine. I have a love of truth and I know that the truth will give me the strength that I need. Truth will make me free.Ab imo pectore

I will always try to have a positive attitude towards life, people and issues.
I will smile and try to make people smile. I know that, when I change my attitude, the whole world changes. I will understand the bad, but focus on the good. I will feed an opportunity, starve a problem. I know that life is treating me good and that life is beautiful. Humanius est deridere vitam quam deplorare

I will be strong, calm and modest.
No Fear, No Anger, Just Peace & Selflessness. I will be confident about myself. I will be firm and unshaken in all circumstances and won’t worry unnecessarily. I will always be strong, courageous and be able to handle stress. My strength will empower my calmness. I know that; “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders”. I won’t take life too serious and will be in good spirits. My relaxation should not only serve myself, but I need to be comforting to people around me who are under stress. I know that I can be calm & crazy at the same time if I know when to be calm. I will be modest and will never speak aloud about winning. Fluctuat nec mergitur

I will be full of feelings; I will be happy & joyful.
I will try to get joy out of life and from everything I do. I will live with feelings, I will feel, happiness, sadness; I will be living “peak experiences” or moments of intense enjoyment. I will always take care of this moment and be able to live the moment to the greatest extent filled with feelings. I will have a capacity to appreciate simple and commonplace experiences and will never lack the appreciation for the earth’s beauty. I will have high humor and zest in living. Florebo quocumque ferar

I will be patient.
I am on a long journey; I have no rush in life, because my goal is not a specific end-point but the journey. Nothing can discourage me. I have enough strength and persistence to go from failure to failure without losing my enthusiasm to reach my goals.I am steadfast. I am persistent in important issues and will never give up. Festina lente!

I will be fair to people fair to the world.
I will always be just and will have a high ethic code. I will respect and try to obey all laws and rules. I will obey human rights, woman rights, minority rights, and all rights. I will be unprejudiced to everybody. I will also be environment friendly and ecologically conscious.

I will be health conscious.
The most important status in life is being healthy. I know that, I cannot achieve any of my goals without being physically & mentally healthy. I will control my health and invest time and effort in my well being. I will try to be in good shape. Mens sana in corpore sano
Bona valetudo melior est quam maximæ divitiæ

I will create value, be worthy.
I will work for my family, work for my company, work for my nation, work for my country and most importantly, I will be worthy to humanity and to the world.

Try
I will seek continuous improvement.
My goal is to go forward and triumph in everything I involve. I will always have my burning desire to learn. I will be open to change and will continue to grow and evolve. I won’t be defensive. I will not only learn from my mistakes, but from other peoples mistakes as well. I will always measure improvements with right performance indicators (KPIs) and try to correct myself and my work systematically. Qui non proficit, deficit

I will be committed and motivated.
I am committed to life, to my family, to my company, to world, to causes and to anything I am involved with. I will take responsibility for every aspect of my life, in everywhere, even overburdening myself (however, I will try not to “too much overburden” myself with responsibilities which I cannot fulfill). I will always work enthusiastically.

I am driven by my goals and have a mission in life. I have a strong will and determination. I believe that; “Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes”. I can create my own destiny and I know that I am in control. I believe that I can make a dent in the universe. My motto is; “Cerca, trova” (seek and you shall find).

I will cooperate (cooperative).
I will be a good team player and will work nicely, positively and effectively with teams. I will be creatively cooperative and will inspire and synergize teams. I will never decide alone on important issues. I know that good communication skills are the first pre-requisite of cooperation. I will put utmost importance on my communication skills and thrive to be a great communicator. I will first seek to understand, then to be understood. I recognize that knowing people is the second pre-requisite of cooperation. I will be outgoing and social. I will be open to meet new people and listen to their stories.

I will be hardworking, and energetic.
I will be a doer. I know that without action, I am not going anywhere. I will get into action and do & create. I will do more with less. I will always be hardworking. I believe that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Laborare est orare

I will manage myself, plan, know where to focus, will be effective
I will not only work hard, but will also work efficiently and effectively by managing my time & myself. I will work harder to improve the way I perform by knowing my strengths and putting myself where my strengths can produce results. I will work to improve my strengths. I will identify incompetence areas and avoid them; I will know what not to do. I believe in the 10,000 hour rule, and will spend considerable time in my focus areas. I won’t try to cover everything.

I will set my yearly and future goals and will revise these at least yearly. I will check the results to see whether I have achieved my goals and will analyze the facts behind these results. I will be on time to meetings and answer right at the first available moment to important questions. I will spend time to plan myself, and will make time available for planning when necessary. I won’t tend to leave tasks to tomorrow. In my work; I will try to stick to my plans and deadlines as much as possible.

I will be aware of behavior and motivations, will control myself, and know how to influence others (EQ smart).
I will focus on emotional intelligence and strive to be EQ smart. First, I will understand my behavior and my motivations behind my actions, and then I will understand other people and their thoughts, behavior and their motivations behind their actions deeply. After that, with my awareness, I will try to control and change myself for good. Last but not least, by understanding their motivations and thought mechanism, I will try to influence people in a good way. Also, I will always keep my eyes open and be aware of politics.

I will think (thoughtful / IQ Smart).
I will be thoughtful to people and to issues that I am involved with. I will always try to create time to focus on thinking and focusing on the big picture. I won’t let the everyday tasks to stop me from seeing the important issues. I will try to have right understanding (view), right thought (resolve) and right judgment. I will always make use of my rationale and interpretation; I won’t go with the flow.

I will have a strategic view.
To do the right thing is much more important than doing the thing right. I will be orderly and put first things first. I will have a vision; I will begin with the end in mind and will think one step ahead. I will make the time available to focus and concentrate intensely on issues that I work on. I will bring structure and organization to my work & life. I will always research, benchmark and plan before making a decision. I will divide my work into phases. I will write down expected outcomes for my key decisions and actions and a year later compare them with the results. I will take my time to create frameworks everywhere and use them. But, I won’t forget the importance of speed.

I won’t only focus on having a strategic view, but will concentrate on the right implementation of the strategy. I believe that implementation of a great idea is more important than coming up with a great idea. Therefore, I will put importance in process improvement by measurement. I strongly believe that what is not measured cannot be managed and improved.

Love, Be Social
Omnia vincit amor
I will have compassion and sympathy.
I will follow Mevlanas’ approach; “come as you are” for everybody that I shall meet. I will understand and accept differences. I will be flexible. I will use empathy and be compassionate and sympathetic to people. I know that the only person that I can change is myself. And I also know that convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.

I will be giving and I will be sharing.
I will do good to others and be helpful. I know that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. As Prophet Mohammed said “the cherished person is the one, who is useful for others”. I believe that; “In the market of life; not the one who gets, but the one who gives wins”. I will be a good citizen with a focus on giving and will involve in charity and social work.

I will be radical and “crazy”.
I will be adventurous, spontaneous and creative. I won’t be boring. I will try to think out of the box and won’t be afraid to act out of the box. I won’t restrict myself and won’t fear from being different. I will be crazy, outlier and exuberant in a genuine way. Wheresoever I go, I will go with all my heart. Most of my decisions might be summarized like; “two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit.

I will be friendly.
I know that to walk in darkness with a friend is better than to walk alone in brightness. I will be open for new friendships and be friendly to everybody. I will try to remember everybody with their first name. I will be humble and will always show respect & gratitude. I will forgive mistakes and will be strong enough to let it go. I know that friendship is hard to get, but is more difficult to hold on to. Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur

I will love.
I will love myself, love people and love the world. I won’t hold myself back from being loved, but would seek to be loved. I will be comfortable in showing my love and affection. I will see the good in people and find the love within people. My love is not restricted to people, but to thoughts, believes, causes, values, issues, situations, occurrences and objects. Ut ameris, amabilis esto, Si vis amari, ama

I will trust.
I believe in economies of trust. I believe that everybody is trustable unless proven not to be trustable. But, this doesn’t mean I am naive. I will take always somehow calculated risks, but the caliber will always be towards trusting people first. In short; I will trust everybody, expect the obvious crooks. Experto crede

I will be a leader and will energize people.
I will share my joy and my values to energize people and teams. In teams I will lead, manage, push, follow and measure to get things moving. I will try to be on top of issues and be pro-active in work and in personal life. I will try my best to lead, to manage and to push people for better. I will never forget to track, measure and improve what I lead.

I will be pure and simple.
I know that life is really simple. I have a naive, simple and direct way of looking at life. I will try to be clear on all issues and will try to talk simple to make myself and my goals transparent. I will be open to people. I will be pure and will never lose my innocence. I will live a simple life and won’t make my life too complex. I believe that “any intelligent fool can make things bigger, and more complex, but it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction”.

Now you are ready to take “MyOtah” and follow the four paths which will help you in your journey. Acta non verba

Share “MyOath” to make this world a better place. Also share your thoughts and ideas about “MyOath” on social media. I will be following ;)

on twitter

Qui tacet, consentire videtur

Note: Please, be aware that I use many quotes from the great minds. To find out the writers of these quotes or to get the meaning of quotes in latin, you just need to Google the quotes.

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