I would like to make one thing perfectly clear, breaking the rules has an entirely different meaning than breaking the law. I do not promote or endorse breaking any laws.
What I do mean by breaking the rules is that it is okay to push boundaries, as long as pushing the boundaries within reason doesn’t cause physical harm to person or property. Pushing boundaries is supposed to be uncomfortable. It’s been a very long time since I have felt uncomfortable pushing the limits, but I do understand that for some it can be very uncomfortable.
Pushing the boundaries can take many forms; they can be spiritual, physical, mental, social, and even financial. The latter, we have become very accustomed to on a daily basis with our personnel finances. We don’t even blink an eye on breaking out the credit card and buying something we know very well we can’t afford at the time, praying that we can pay for it down the road. Sound familiar? Millions of American’s do it every day never giving it a second thought that they are breaking a fundamental rule of finance which is don’t spend what you don’t have. Could it be that we look at the government and think, if they can do it, why can’t I? Or might it be that you think I want that and I deserve that so I’m going to get it! Never the less it’s pushing the financial boundaries and we have reconciled it to ourselves that it’s okay.
Let’s stay on the financial aspect because it’s near and dear to me. I have spent a good part of my life trying to figure out why people can spend their way into the poor house but are so resistant to figure out a way to work them into financial freedom. I started early making money and learned the value of work. Notice I didn’t say that I valued the money; because I valued the effort it took to make the money. The money only afforded me the opportunity to purchase things I wanted. My first effort at acquiring money was to sell Christmas cards door to door. I was about 7-8 years old had seen an ad in a comic book to sell greeting cards so I went for it! I did very well and learned so many lessons, I could write a book about it. The two most important lessons learned were to value the effort it takes to earn money and to fear nothing when it come to selling you.
What does it have to do with pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules? Everything! Look at any professional athlete, CEO, or successful business leader. You will find that at some point in their life they learned the methods they needed to push their limits and test the boundaries to overcome the obstacles and challenges they would face throughout their careers. They learned how to and when to push the limits and when not to push. That’s how breaking the rules drive your inner self to greater limits and boundaries.
In the course of writing this blog I learned of the death of Nelson Mandela and was reminded of a quote of his that I feel is appropriate to breaking the rules. It goes like this:
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Breaking the rules has everything to do with overcoming your fears. Such as the fear of what others will think, the fear of failing, the fear of the unknown, etc. They all have to be dealt with in order to break the rules and drive you passion forward and live the life that you choose to live. There is no way that you can side step this issue. You have two choices, either you overcome your fears or you succumb to them. The choice is yours to make. The one thing that I can assure you of is that if you choose to overcome your fears you have taken the first step to living a free life. I am living proof of this. Living fearless is as rewarding as anything I have experienced in my lifetime.
Don’t succumb—-become free.
