In our blog articles, we encourage you to follow habits to make sure your days are the best that they can be. We believe that healthy habits form healthy living. In this article, we want to encourage you to bend the rules now and then. The habit of bending the rules can relax you from the stress of a strict life, it can also spark joy as you turn everyday into a little adventure! In Ice Cream for Breakfast, author Leslie Levine cleverly says, “Instead of giving ourselves permission to be joyful and do the things that make us happy, we arbitrarily create rules that prevent us from enjoying as much as we can”. Here are some rules we think are worth breaking courtesy of Leslie and one of our own.

 

Talk Back

The need to talk back is often driven by the desire to be heard and understood. The delivery, though, is what got you into trouble. When you’re scolded, you suppress what is true to you and what message you want to put out into the world. Now as an adult, you can learn to better communicate your desires, opinions, and needs in a way that expresses your authentic self. Even if the message is in opposition to who you’re speaking to, your thoughts are just as important as anyone else’s. A way to learn more about this skill is to read books like, “Crucial Conversations”, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler.

 

Play in the Dirt

With so many responsibilities, avoiding getting dirty makes sense. Getting dirty requires getting clean, and that takes time. That process takes away from the routine you’ve created for yourself. This routine, though, is not fulfilling the wild child in you. When you were a child, getting dirty was a part of the process! You didn’t worry about the aftermath of getting yourself dirty, you just lived in the moment and worried about the consequences later. Doing activities that keep us in the moment is the spice of life. Let your hair down and get dirty now and then. The cleanup process is the euphoria that comes after getting dirty! Getting dirty and getting clean are both joyful and only exists with the other.

 

Say I Love You First

If you grew up without hearing ‘I love you’ often, this practice may be a tough one to break at first. The human’s capacity for love is infinite and sharing this only brings more love into the world. With friends that you hold near and dear to your heart, be the first to say ‘I love you’ when you hang up the phone. Or return the sentiment if you’ve been receiving this message in the past. These words are vulnerable to say, but just as much as they are vulnerable, they can fill your heart up with joy.

 

For more rules to break, we encourage you to pick up Leslie’s book. These tips encourage you to connect with your inner child. This connection can bring more happiness and fulfillment in your life. By breaking the rules now and then, you are giving yourself permission to enjoy the uncertainty and surprises of life