Rules Schmules
Rules have their place in this world. But if they are stopping you from succeeding then you should look for a way around them. I’m not talking about breaking the law, but breaking the rules that say you need to do A,B, and C before you can achieve X. These rules may be good for the masses who are happy with slow progress, and who are looking. But if you want to rise to the top more quickly, see where you can bend or break the rules.
Rules That Are Waiting For You to Break Them
1) Needing a Masters Degree to teach. If you have work experience, this can be better than a masters degree. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t feel like you have to spend a ton of money and time on another degree (unless you want to.) This is especially true for programs from online schools. If you want to start teaching, then start looking for job openings and sell your skills! A masters degree may be required, but rules can always be broken for the right person. Maybe that’s you! If you are short on experience, look for teaching opportunities where teachers are in short supply. Essentially put yourself into an arena where you have an advantage.
2) You need experience to get the job. Bull! I used to hire a lot of people at a financial services firm. There was always an experience requirement. But experience doesn’t always have to be formal or job-specific. The bottom line is, the person’s attitude was by far the most important element in whether I hired someone. I turned down plenty of people with experience who had poor attitude or who had no enthusiasm. Focus on your experience. Be creative in relating it to the job requirements of the job for which you are applying. And be enthusiastic. Go for it!
3) You need to be young, beautiful, and talented to be a movie, rock star. Nope. What you need is drive and persistence. Having one or more of the other things can certainly help, but there are people who have made it on drive alone. You can learn the rest. If you really want it, go for it. You’ll probably want to keep your day job for a while. And you don’t have to be a star to make a living as an entertainer. If it’s your dream, go after it. Don’t let “the rules” keep you from trying. You may not make it big, but you’ll be living out your dream!
4) It takes money to make money. Not necessarily. Having money can help, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make money. You can start many businesses with a small amount of money. But whether you have big money or small money, you’ll need to implement smart business strategy. If you have a good business plan, you can always use other people’s money. Of course you’ll need to sell your idea well. But it can be done. What business have you been wanting to start? What small steps can you take today to start?
5) You need a degree in English, Journalism, or Writing to be a good writer. I think we all know this is not true, right? Right? OK, maybe not everyone knows this, but now you do. If you’ve dreamed all your life of becoming a writer, it’s never too late to start. Just start talking on paper. The more you write the better you’ll get. Seek out critiques from people who can and will give you honest and knowledgeable feedback.
6) You need a lot of time to write a book. Yes and no. Lot of time, yes. All at once, no. By being disciplined each day, you could have a book written within 6 months to a year. If you are very motivated, you could have a book written in 60 days or less.
7) You need an MBA to be successful in business. This is just not true. There are so many examples of this. You do need to be a life long learner though. You should keep up with the cutting edge of your field. And you must take action on what you learn. Set a course to read a cross section of books in varying fields of business, learn as much as you can from colleagues and competitors and you’ll have the equivalent of an MBA. If you want to get a formal MBA, that’s fine. But just don’t feel like you have to.
8 ) Everyone who loses weight gains it back. Not everyone. A lot do, but that doesn’t have to be you. Don’t let that stop you from trying to lose weight. That’s bad excuse. You can do it! Keep it off for your health and for your loved ones! And do it today. Father time keeps ticking away. The time to do it is now for future health. A great book on losing weight is The Fat Flush Plan by Louise Gittleman. She is a dietitian and her weight loss method stems from a biological perspective.
9) I can’t eat healthy because I don’t like vegetables. That’s rule you need to get rid of! The real problem is you just haven’t had vegetables that are cooked right. Here is a great book on cooking vegetables with creativity so that they taste yummy! by Patricia Wells.
10) You need to make a lot of money to save for retirement. This is not true. You need to save more money than you spend to save for retirement. It’s simple math. Total your income, figure out how much you need to save for retirement, and then cut your expenses as much as possible to leave enough left over for your monthly savings goal. Best bet is to automate it. Have the savings direct deposited into a separate savings account that you don’t touch. What’s left over is what you are allowed to spend.
11) Investing is for rich people with secret knowledge. No. Investing is for everyone who wants to earn a better return on their money than a savings account. Check out my free Guide to Investing and begin to have success of your own. Just start small, build each month, and you’ll be on your way!
12) Only good looking people can find someone to love them. This is not true. Bash this rule from your head. Haven’t you seen ? People love you for what’s on the inside. You don’t want the people who only love the packaging because they won’t be with you for the long run. Love yourself and others will love you. Be the person you would want to hang out with. Plus everyone is good looking in their own way when they smile and when they are good to others.
13) People can’t change and therefore my marriage can never improve. Baaahnt. Not. This may be true for many people who have given up. But if you really want things to improve, they can! The basic steps: envision a better future, identify what YOU need to do, develop and express gratitude for positive aspects of your spouse, and keep repeating over time. Start small. Look for, recognize, and record in a journal the small successes. If you do this they will build. Good luck!
Some Famous Rulebreakers
Bill Gates dropped out of college to start a little company called Microsoft.
John Grisham wrote his first book over the course of many months on his commuter train to and from work.
Blogging Pro Wendy Piersall had a major turnaround in her marriage to an alcoholic. Today her marriage is fantastic.
Harry Potter
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee lost and kept off over 100 pounds with simple diet and exercise.
Richard Simmons
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