Breaking the Rules

“Crying is a sign of weakness.”

“Keep quiet and don’t rock the boat.”

“You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t get good grades.”

These phrases are examples of the myriad of (unhelpful) messages we’ve heard along the way in life. They’re not truth; just opinion. And you know what “opinions” are, right? They’re like armpits – everyone has them and some of ‘em stink!

But when we’re young and vulnerable, we hear all kinds of messages that begin to shape what we believe to be true about the world. These messages can end up morphing into beliefs. And all of a sudden, we become adults and see the world through a particular filter that we’ve created. Often times, this filter doesn’t align with what we know is right, and the old beliefs get in our way. They get in our way of success, of relationships, of Read more »

If you’re going to be following the things that bring you joy, then you’ve got to know when “enough is enough.” Just because you start something, doesn’t mean that you need to finish.

All of my growing up, I learned about “discipline.” My dad was a bodybuilder who stuck to a strict regimen and routine, which earned him a room full of trophies and a state full of admirers. He was certainly following his joy! Similarly, in school I learned that “winners never quit” and you’ve got to stick with a task until it’s done.

I’ve come to understand that some rules, however, are meant to be broken.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to learn how to salsa dance. And through the years I’ve paged through Community Education catalogs looking for just the right class to attend with Bill. And then it finally happened earlier this year: All the stars aligned, and Bill quietly surrendered and agreed to Read more »