Anyone who has ever attempted to play Monopoly has read a list of rules. In Monopoly, we follow the rules in order to maintain order and for the chance to buy Park Place and Boardwalk in order to build hotels and bankrupt our friends and family.
What if, however, there were a much larger, grander board out there, one on which we could build eco-tourist luxury spa resorts? Or perhaps build nothing at all and let Boardwalk become a natural habitat for birds?
We’d have to break the rules – in the risk of dreaming something grander or more resonant for ourselves.
Some rules are important, such as obeying traffic lights and wearing clothes in public. However, we may have developed our own set of rules from “rules” that we’ve heard from our friends, family, or the media we consume, such as, “I should get up before 10AM on Saturdays” or “Nice girls don’t wear skirts THAT short.”
Can you think of any rules that you follow that you or someone else may simply have made up? It is likely that words like “should”, “must” and “don’t” pop up in your rules. Try to think of one of these rules right now. Is following this rule holding you back from something that you really love? Say dessert, or maybe sleep? How about from following a childhood dream? Is it holding you back from bringing joy into your life?
Now may be the time to create some new rules, rules that focus on seeking out what you want instead of avoiding what you shouldn’t. What do you want more of? Laughter? Adventure? Love?
Make one new rule today that will bring what you desire closer. You just might find yourself Chairman of the Board.
