Break the Rules!

Go ahead....I dare you. Now I’m not encouraging you to steal from the grocery store or tell lies (definitely not). I am daring you to break rules and ideas about yourself that you follow that don’t serve you and don’t allow you to be the best you that you can be. I have noticed that I constantly reinforce patterns of behavior and thinking that, if I dissect, a) I don’t agree with and b) are restricting. Take thoughts that come into my head during a yoga practice for example, things like “I’ll never be able to do that arm balancing pose” or “I’d be better at this if I weighed less”  Not only are these things false these rules that I make up about who I am and what I am capable of diminish my chances of reaching my full potential.
Breaking the rules doesn’t come easily to this self confessed rule follower. If I am told the party starts at 7pm I will be there at 6.59pm even though I would be in a way better mood if I could have napped and shown up at 7.30pm. I am a strong advocate for being on time but a nap before a social event would serve everybody!
It takes time to not only see the rules that I create but to start to saw away at them and it’s not like if I “break a rule” once then I am changed forever. I am constantly staging anarchistic revolutions in my mind and often involving the same issue(s).
Slowing down and taking a few breaths helps me to see a bit clearer and challenge my initial reaction to ideas/people/things. It is in these moments that a choice can be made: follow the old path or break out a forge a new one. Both options have their benefits and a well worn path is a great one to travel if it continues to go in the right direction. It’s like my friend Tracy says “every moment is a chance to make a change.” These encouraging words fill me with a sense of freedom and inspire me to explore ways that life could be different and more joyful.
There is a famous quote that says “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot” I feel like the greatest pleasure in life is doing what I say I cannot!
So go ahead ..... break the rules!