Rules that Entrap You
Human Beings, by changing the attitudes of their minds can change the outer aspects of their lives. William James.
When we are born, some think even before, when we are in the womb, we come into the world whole, naturally curious and fearless. Aside from food, all we crave is love and a sense of security.
We are totally spontaneous, open, willing to try anything. Soon, however, we begin to learn the rules; from our parents, friends, business associates and society at large. By the we have grown into adulthood, we have a huge toolbox of rules governing every aspect of our lives.
On balance, there is nothing wrong with many of them. In fact, we need to know and understand them if we are going to live successfully (by whatever our measurements and terms of reference) and fully participate in society.
Not all these rules, though, apply equally to everyone. Their principal purpose is to help maintain order and civility in society. However, they can also get in the way of your own personality and agenda if they are imposed by others whose views and understanding of life are at variance with your own.
It doesn’t take long before they become ingrained into your psyche. Some of them, if they don’t fit with your own unique personality, can entrap you behind an invisible wall, stopping you from growing, blocking your passage to other people and ideas and, in turn, them from you.
Feeling hemmed in, you begin to lose your person freedom of choice. The flow of ideas and thoughts is stifled. When you attempt to break free of the rules that are smothering you, you can often end up feeling guilty, ashamed or anxious, so, instead, you retreat to the safety and security of the tribe.
The more you do that, unfortunately, the more you rob yourself of the chance to expand your vision not realizing one of life’s axioms:
You can’t grow from what you already know and you can’t learn from what you are unwilling to experience.
(This is an excerpt from my book, Life Without a Parachute. If it resonates, I invite to read some of the subsequent posts covering ways to escape the rules that may be entrapping you and lead to thinking outside of the box.)