Hmm.
Following a pleasant morning of box ticking, I was heading home, coffee cup in hand, and popped into a charity shop to browse. I immediately spotted some bargains and arms full of things to try on I made my way to the back of the shop where I was stopped by a shop assistant who pointed out the 'no drinking or eating' sign in the open doorway.
"You can't have drinks on the shop floor," she said.
"Oh," I exclaimed. "Sorry." And at a loss as to what she wanted me to do, I replaced all my items on the rail, and left the shop.
Surely an offer to leave my drink on the counter whilst I continued shopping would make more sense? Surely the rule would be better 'enter with drinks and food at your own risk, any damages must be paid for'. As it was, they missed out on a sale (and a charity donation) and having stopped the reckless rule breaker/potential customer the assistant merely turned back to what she had been doing without thought.
Health and safety rules I get, rules to ensure we can all get along and live happily in society I understand, but some rules seem to be there just to stop us from living our best lives, and are there to 'control'. These rules do not always make sense to me, and quite often, we are responsible for placing these kind of rules on ourselves.
Ever said any of these....'I can't...', 'I shouldn't...', 'I should...', 'I really must...', 'I have to...' Ever felt in conflict between what you want to do and what you feel is possible? What rules are you putting on yourself (and/or others) that stops you from living your best life? Rules can be important, they can serve a purpose, and often the ones we put on ourselves reflect our inner values, but what about the ones we put there because of limiting beliefs or the need to 'feel' in control?
Here are some common examples (with possible translations):
I can't ask him out (I don't love myself)
I can't commit (I'm scared of failing)
I can't change jobs (I'm not good enough)
I must worry about something (I have no control)
I shouldn't eat that (I am unattractive)
I have to do everything myself (I lack trust)
If you find yourself placing rules on yourself, ask yourself what the intention for them is, and allow yourself some degree of flexibility, after all, some rules really are made to be broken.