THERE ARE NO RULES

No matter where I go or what I’m doing, there always seems to be a set of rules. Of course, our society is built on rules, so some are necessary. But beyond the rules we agree to in order to participate in society, how many are there? And, more importantly, how many of them are self-imposed?

When you sign a contract with a company, they likely have rules for you to follow. If you don’t, you could be fired. So, yes, it would probably cost you your job to show up to work in your underwear. That might be extreme, but there are likely other rules you’re following that are self-imposed. For instance, why not wear two different colored socks? It probably wouldn’t break your contract, but you’d never do it. Why is that?

Are there any real consequences for wearing mismatched socks? Maybe you’d get some odd stares, but that’s it. And even then, most people wouldn’t give it much thought. I know I’ve seen some wild outfits on trips to Walmart, but I can’t recall a single one. And those outfits were far more extreme than mismatched socks! So, truly, there aren’t any real consequences. The only thing stopping you is yourself.

It’s easy to let our thoughts and actions be guided by cultural norms. It might not be illegal, but it would be odd to wear two different colored socks. We’ve been told all our lives that mismatched socks aren’t right; they should match. After years of having these ideas pushed on us, we start to make them part of our own values. As a kid, you probably didn’t care about little things like that. Heck, you might have even wanted to wear mismatched socks. But now we’re all beholden to these ideas and rules about what’s “correct.”

My challenge and reminder to you is this: we live in a much freer world than we allow ourselves to. Wear mismatched socks. Take the scenic route home. Eat ice cream for breakfast. Run the dishwasher twice. Bring a chair into the shower when you’re tired. There are thousands of self-imposed rules we live by, making life harder instead of living in a way that works for us. So here’s your permission to break the rules (but don’t break the law!). Let go of the rules society has made you believe and live life in a way that works best for you. It’s your happiness vs. the world. Choose yourself.