A few days ago I came across this in my Instagram feed. And it stopped me in my tracks:
Dallas Clayton is an illustrator and author. His Instagram will make you happy.
Too often we spend our time following rules without thinking about them. Some of these rules are spoken, but many of them are unspoken. We follow them because it’s simply what we do.
We’ve made them up, picked them up, and called them our own without even realizing what we’re doing.
We notice them when someone else does something that we’re not “allowed” to do. All of the sudden we have lots of feelings about it. Maybe it’s someone who quit a job, raised a bunch of money for their dream project, or otherwise taken a risk and voiced a desire.
We find ourselves saying things like, “Well, of course they get to do that!”— implying that we don’t get to and can’t.
Here’s the thing I want you to ask about the rules that we consciously and unconsciously follow: Are they helpful? Are they making life better for you and for others? What are they based on? Do you even like these rules?
Most of us have too many rules. And most of us are too unaware of our rules to even know what they are or where they came from.
It’s time to ask questions about your rules. It’s time to ask for feedback about your rules. It’s time to choose to break the rules.
You’re more free than you think you are.
“I’ve spoken to the president of the universe. She told me to tell you that there are no rules.” – Dallas Clayton [tweet that]
