Life "rules" that are tripping you up...
The universe is not logical. It’s magical...
The rules of logic do not apply to the laws of possibility. The universe functions under the laws of magic." - Will Smith
There are two types of people in this world: those who follow the rules, and those who consider the rules suggestions. And they marry each other:) I'm willing to bet you know which one I am in my relationship. But just in case - I am most definitely the rule follower. Which serves me well, most of the time. I understand gravity so I don't jump off of buildings, I respect traffic lights so I don't crash into others, I pay taxes so I don't go to jail, and I tip the correct amount so that no-one spits on my food. The problem is that sometimes I confuse public opinion and accepted norms as real, legitimate rules that I must follow - ALL OF THE TIME. As Truths of life instead of what they really are - made up concepts or ideas that happened to have stuck around (for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because they're correct.) Here are a few examples:
To be successful you have to bust your ass and work, work, work 60+ hours/week
Good mothers sacrifice everything for their kids(and you'd want to give your dreams up the minute you held your baby)
Adulting means feeling stressed and anxious all of the time
Aging means feeling like crap
Good people are always nice and polite
It's not that these rules are never right - crazy hard work often does lead to success, it's usually good to be polite, and most of us do experience aging as aches and pains and a little more junk in the trunk. But we have to understand that they are also sometimes wrong...or at least not the only option! It's taken me a very long time, but I've finally come to understand this mind-blowing fact: Many of us struggle in life because we fundamentally believe we SHOULD struggle. We're unhappy because it feels wrong to be happy. A balanced, healthy and vibrant life full of abundance and laughter and love would be "too good to be true"...so we don't allow it to be true. Of course there are moments in all of our lives that are challenging, painful, and a real struggle. But if we believe that's all that's available to us, that life fundamentally is for suffering instead of enjoying, then that's how we'll experience it. My 2023 resolutions aren't to follow more rules (diet more, exercise more, save more, etc) but to question the ones that have kept me hostage all along. I want to break past those limiting beliefs and access the happiness that's right at my fingertips, but mentally out of my reach. What rules are you ready to break up with? xoxo Carolina
