Time to Break the Rules

Ask people who’ve known me for years and you aren’t likely to find someone who will say I’m a wild, rule breaking party animal. In fact the opposite is MUCH closer to the truth. So what I’m suggesting to you today may surprise some people, and that is…

It’s time to break the rules.

Yes, I said it – let’s break some rules and have fun doing it.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF
Maybe your whole life you’ve been the quiet one, the smart one, the fat one, the single one. Don’t let the one or two traits define who you are right now or what you’re capable of achieving in the future – even when they seem positive. Recognize that you are a little bit of so many attributes that make you uniquely you. When you see yourself in just one narrow way – be it positive or not – you subconsciously limit what you feel you are capable of achieving.

DON'T BLINDLY FOLLOW
Don’t blindly follow the formulas the “experts” say will undoubtedly work. You have likely found that there is no shortage of people, both in your personal and professional lives, who seem to know exactly what you need to do to succeed – and they also likely have a picture in their minds of what your success should look like. Create your own vision – and then go after it in a way that fits with who you are. Yes, there are times when you will have to challenge yourself and go outside your comfort zone, but that DOESN`T mean doing something that goes against your values or who you are.

BE YOURSELF
Be willing to be authentically yourself, so-called weaknesses, imperfections and all. Yes, you can pretend that you are perfect, and you can put walls up around you to supposedly protect you from getting hurt, but that may actually leave you feeling more distant and disconnected from others and more anxious as the fears rise to the surface and you worry about what other people would think of you if they knew the REAL you. So much healthier in the long run to be the best and truest version of yourself.

GO BY YOUR OWN SCHEDULE
There are many societal expectations about the types of career opportunities that are most highly valued and when career progressions or business success should occur. Similarly, you may have always had a framework in your mind for when you would fall in love, get married and start a family – and society may reinforce these as well. I’m not saying that these aren’t incredibly important goals, just that they don’t always follow a standard or expected timeline or schedule. Remind yourself to have faith, put in your best efforts – and then let go of the need to control the results and the timing.

Let’s break these rules together!

Which rules that are holding you back would you like to break?