Let’s face it, humans like rules. They make us feel good. We also hate rules. They make us want to rebel.
However, many of us follow rules without questioning why we do it, which really isn’t a good thing.
Rules are good in that they protect us from hurting ourselves. However, when the rules become an end unto themselves, they become an encumbrance that we really need to think about and assess if we really need to be following them in the first place.
The only way to get there, is to first realize that we are following rules and are working in a rule based system. The best way to do this is to do something wrong.
For those of you, like me, that pretty much follow rules, this will be very uncomfortable. Now, I really am not suggesting you do something big like [fill in the blank], rather do something small. If you typically won’t speed more than [fill in the blank] miles over the limit, then try driving [fill in the blank + 10]. If you typically put your shopping cart where it belongs, leave it right in the middle of the parking lot, but try not to hit my car, please.
You get the idea.
My point is, by breaking rules, we come to recognize their place in our lives, and only then can we decide their appropriateness and how we want to use them or not use them to help us achieve our goals for success.
P.S. If you are already someone who is throwing rules to the wind, you probably aren’t reading my blog on a daily basis, but if you are, and you read this post, think about cutting down on your rule breaking habit. 🙂