Following the Rules

I'm really good at following the rules. And goodness knows that people are fond of coming up with rules; we have everything from multiple levels of government laws, to basic social rules, rules for every type of game, sport or gathering, and even our own personal unspoken rules. Rules give us a sense of safety and control over our environment and our relationships. We even categorize people by their reactions and relationships with rules: criminals, rebels, goody two-shoes', and, of course, lawyers. Can we really even hope to follow all the rules we come across?

Everyone, based on their personality, their up-bringing, and their experiences chooses which rules they will follow and which they won't. Some might argue that government laws are the most important to follow, but I think that social rules are where people are under the most pressure to conform (laws and social rules often match-up, but not always). Of course, social rules are not uniform, but vary across age, gender, family, culture, race and social setting, just to name a few. But enough dry social studies - what happens when your spirit, your intuition, your life tells you to break the rules?

Now, if you choose to consciously follow a spiritual path, I'm pretty certain this is going to happen to you, if it hasn't already. At some point, you may be called to break a social rule or ten. Oh, and please don't get me wrong here, if you're getting the feeling you should rob a bank or abandon your children, chances are it's not your spirit that you're talking to. But if you're getting the call to parent differently than the rest your family, to change your diet or clothes in a way that might make you stand out from your friends, or to start to be openly honest about what (or who) you love even though it makes others uncomfortable, it's a feeling you should really pay attention to.

You see, part of the whole reason for being on Earth at all is to discover yourself: what you like, what you're good at, what you love, what is easy for you, and equally, what you don't like and what's a challenge for you. Now as nice as it would be, if you grew up surrounded with people who think and feel exactly the way you do (which is really impossible anyway), how would you really discover who you are? In that sort of case, there would be no real discovery, no drive for you to embrace and cherish who you are as an individual. So you see, you're very likely meant to find yourself in at least one situation in your life where you need to be different from those around you.

As I said before, I'm good at following the rules. I did that really well for a long time. I studied engineering in university for over four years and I was a computer programmer for six more years. And then I heard the call to be different - to be me. Seemingly out-of-nowhere, I quit my job and the entire social world that came with it in order to study holistic health and shortly thereafter become a stay-at-home mother. These decisions were not logical and sensible as engineers are supposed to be, nor did they fit my image of an intelligent and modern career woman. It was a hard decision but the pain of not following my heart had finally exceeded the pain of not following the social rules I was exposed to.

Anyone I've talked to who has made this kind of change in their life describe some things in common. The decision to break the rules and be true to themselves was difficult or even agonizing, but once the change was made, they never regretted the decision. When you are following the rules, who are you being true to? Are they your rules or something you picked up from those around you? You don't have to wait until the pain of not being you catches up with you. You are being given every opportunity to be yourself - when will you choose to accept?

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© Amelie Rossignol and Heart Answers, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Amelie Rossignol and Heart Answers with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.