The Surprising Reality About Following Rules

I've never liked rules. They tend to get in the way of things like fun.Depending on the context, rules often create friction that slows even well-intentioned progress.

I made a decision years ago that is now showing up again in my life.

I made the decision to follow my own rules. I try to live deliberately ethically, and according to a blend of known and practiced philosophies.Recently I noticed myself creating unnecessary rules around my own life. Rules that didn't help or improve me.Time to break the rules . . .

Here's the punchline:

Rules are our servants.If a rule is not useful or if it creates more work, disobey it and accept the consequences gladly.You should never have to wait for permission to build something useful.You should never have to bend over backward to make someone smile.And you should never have to suffer under your own habits.

Rules are our servants.

You are the owner of rules.You are the ruler.You decide what to do next.

The Only Time You Should Say "Don't"

Don't is powerful. It's more powerful than can't.We can change "can't" with attitude and hard work, but "don't" is different.

In this case, I specifically mean "I don't." As in:

I don't miss a workout.I don't skip meditation.I don't eat junk food.When we say the words "I don't," we somehow pull meaning from deep within us. It's suddenly a powerful belief inside."I don't" translates to "I'm not the kind of person who . . ."Next time you want to confront a temptation or stir up some intrinsic motivation, try saying "I don't."

What You Have To Do

What you have to do is exactly what you decide you have to do.

And that part is up to you.Do what will get you the result you want. Scrap the rest.Most of the time (following the Pareto principle, here) we spend 80% of the effort to get only the last 20% of the results.ACTION:What's something that you're doing that's causing more pain than it's worth? Can you stop doing it right now?You can Pareto-Optimize your life, one small step at a time:Do the bare minimum to get the results.Say what you need to say, and scrap the fluff.Write only enough to get the message across.