Codes of Conduct

Codes of Conduct for Life

By Tanis Helliwell

“Jesus was over the heads of his reporters.” –Matthew Arnold

Rules for success for our life and work appear to change through time, but in fact these codes of conduct endure for centuries. Some codes belong particularly to one culture and others transcend religious and geographical boundaries. Superficially, codes might appear to change as we age because the rules and roles that govern our life in our 20’s might not be the same ones that we have, for example, in our 40’s or 50’s. However, if we look closer we can see that codes based on universal laws hold true for all people at all times.

Old and New Codes of Conduct

For example, workplaces prior to the second world-war were populated mostly by Caucasian men in hierarchical organizations. At that time the rules for success were to follow the orders of your boss without question. Fifty years later the most common workplace is composed of almost equal numbers of men and women of diverse racial ancestry sharing ideas freely regardless of their position within the organization.

However, if we were to look beneath the surface differences of these two organizational structures, we would see common codes of conduct that govern long-term success and well-being for both individuals and the organizations as a whole. These are universal laws that transcend time and space and these laws—which to some extent have been unconscious but implied in our society—are now entering more consciously into our life and work. This is occurring at a time when people are more willing to see that we cannot separate codes of conduct for life and work. That’s like going to church for an hour on Sunday and not incorporating those spiritual values into the rest of your week. We are beginning to realize that the same universal truths govern both our personal life and our work.

Over the years I have been inspired by many of these universal codes from the simple prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, to the Serenity prayer, or Jesus’s Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Each of us has a set of codes for our own life, although we probably don’t write these down and have not even shared these with others. In fact, for most of us these codes might be largely unconscious, and if anyone trespasses on these  codes we get upset. I think it’s a good idea to articulate what these codes are both for ourselves and for others to know us better. I’d like to share my list with you and am curious to know if any of these are true for you as well. I also encourage you to make your own list.

Universal Codes of Conduct for Life and Work

1. Not getting what you think you want is sometimes the best thing that could ever have happened.

2. See difficulties as opportunities to build character.

3. Never go to bed angry or let little disagreements spoil great relationships.

4. Life is a series of correcting our mistakes with grace.

5. Focus not on what is wrong in yourself or others, but on how both you and they are improving.

6. The first part of life is spent learning other peoples rules; the second half in developing our own code of conduct.

7. Share your love, time, money and knowledge and you will never experience scarcity.

8. Be flexible and open to the winds of change, while keeping your feet rooted in enduring values.

10. The sins of omission are as great as those of commission.

11. There are three things you must balance—love of self, love of others and love of God, the Creator. In the end these three are the same.

12. The secret of inner peace is to do your best and be non-attached to the results.

13. Joy and play are the keys to working with ease. A joy filled spirit attracts energy and others.

14. Walk on the Earth each day, breathe the fresh air and watch the birds fly. Remember that you and they are One.

15. You only pass this way once so sign up fully for life every day.

16. Forgiveness is the greatest gift that you can give yourself.

17. We are here on Earth to learn to love and to help the other beings evolving here.

18. Focus on positive thoughts, feelings and actions and you will attract the same from others.

19. To manifest what you want you need a goal worth doing, one pointed concentration, and welcome the synchronicities on your journey.

20. Be kind to all people you meet so that they feel better about themselves having met you.

Tanis Helliwell, a mystic in the modern world, has brought spiritual consciousness into the mainstream for over 30 years. Since childhood, she has seen and heard elementals, angels, and master teachers in higher dimensions. Tanis is the founder of the International Institute for Transformation (IIT), which offers programs to assist individuals to become conscious creators to work with the spiritual laws that govern our world.

Tanis is the author of The High Beings of Hawaii, Summer with the Leprechauns, Pilgrimage with the Leprechauns, Embraced by Love, Manifest Your Soul’s Purpose, Hybrids: So You Think You Are Human and Decoding Your Destiny.

For information on Tanis’ courses, click here.