This is how stupid, self-imposed rules make me feel
Yesterday I decided to get away from my desk and go out for a quick lunch. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is.
You see, I have always had a “rule” that I don’t eat out at restaurants by myself. I don’t even remember why I came up with this rule, but I’ve had it since I was old enough to even consider going out for a meal by myself.
For some reason, over the last few months, this rule just started to seem stupid. So, I’ve started breaking it.
And I am so much happier.
It has made me realize there are probably other dumb, self-imposed rules I need to start breaking. Being the organized thinker that I am, I came up with some ways to tell when a rule needs to be broken.
Here are my top 5 ways to tell that a self-imposed rule is stupid:
See how happy she looks?
1. You don’t know why you have the rule in the first place.
2. Nobody is harmed if you break the rule.
3. Nobody benefits from you following the rule.
4. Following the rule doesn’t make you feel good.
5. Not following the rule makes you feel good, or even better, liberated.
If all five of these criteria are met, I know the self-imposed rule is stupid and I am free to break it.
If 3 or more criteria are met, I know I should really consider the value of the rule.
Do you have any stupid, self-imposed rules that need to be broken?
Filed under: Coaching, Decision Making Tagged: | Breaking Rules, Rules, Success Statement
Great idea! Sometimes the hardest part is realizing that you have a rule in the first place. We often do things without much thought, because “it’s always the way that we’ve done it.”
Wow, honey, very profound! Very true though – it doesn’t seem like a rule, it just seems like reality. So it is hard to even get to the point where you can question it. I need to think about how to find those pesky rules…