I don’t remember most of the stories he
related; however, I DO remember the philosophy he stated had been
the motivating force behind the decisions he had reached. He told us that he had concluded at a very
young age that “you can do whatever you want to do as long as you are willing
to accept the consequences that may follow your decisions.” That I have never forgotten. With every decision we make, there are going
to be consequences that we will have to face.
Some of them will be good and some will be bad. In the final analysis the question is still
very relevant today: Are we willing to
accept the consequences?
Think back on your own life, especially
when you were young. You’ve probably
been punished for breaking a rule in the past. It may have been a rule your
parents made to keep you safe and you learned a lesson from breaking it. Hopefully you learned that when you make
decisions there are going to be consequences that you will have to face.
There are risks to every rule you choose
to break and you may be the type of person who loves to break them. Adrenaline rushes inside of you from rule
breaking and the very action can become addictive to some people. Some of you may remember the comedian from
the past, Red Skelton (1913 – 1997). He
performed a number of skits on his television program (and radio) for many
years. The introduction of his second
character, the Mean Widdle Kid, or “Junior” was one that I will always
remember. This mischief young boy would
always do things that he had been told not to do. He would then reply, “If I dood it, I gets a
whipping” followed moments later with the words, “I dood it!” I think some people just live that philosophy
for their entire life.
However, before you endorse that type of
lifestyle consider this: If you don’t agree with certain rules of society and
plan to break them – either in business or your personal life, consider the
following five risks that may be involved:
1. The risk of alienating people you
need or want in your life. Think carefully about breaking a rule that can alienate you from the
very people who could benefit you and whom you love. For example, if you go against your parents’
wishes, you may cause them anguish. Weigh
the benefits (or maledictions) that may develop because of your decision and
then act accordingly.
2. Lose your job. Some rule-breaking may result in the loss of a
job or position in a company. Insisting
that you can work from home and get more done may alienate other coworkers who
trudge to work each morning. You may
also miss out on valuable one-on-one time with your boss or others important to
your job. The man who had to make the
visits to the military bases sharing his life history that I mentioned earlier
made the statement in his discourse, “If you want to tell your boss what you REALLY
think about him, go ahead! Just be
willing to accept the consequences that may follow.” That’s true.
He may decide to fire you, but if you are willing to accept that, have your
say.
3. Expressing your opinion. This goes in harmony with the comment I just
made about speaking your mind to your boss.
Expressing your feelings and beliefs to others will always have
consequences that follow. Standing up
for your values can be a risk that gives you great satisfaction and can boost
your self-esteem. It may also alienate
you from a person – or a group of people. Beware of the consequences of your words and
then do the right thing.
4. Unqualified for the job you’re in. You may have gotten a position by promising
that you’d be a fast learner and meet all expectations required of you. At some point, you may be overwhelmed by the
amount of work or learning process that you didn’t expect. Know what you’re
getting in to before leaping into a job you’re not qualified for. This is a very sticky situation to find
yourself. Having humility is the only
thing that will help you here. You need
to know your limitations and you should understand your real importance in the
“big picture.” To be more understanding
of this quality of being humble I always think of the illustration that Jesus
gave as recorded in Luke 14: 8-11. 8 “When
you are invited by someone to a marriage feast, do not recline in the most
prominent place. Perhaps someone more distinguished than you may also have been
invited. 9 Then the one who invited you both will come
and say to you, ‘Let this man have your place.’ Then you will proceed with
shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are
invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the man who invited
you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, go on up higher.’ Then you will have
honor in front of all your fellow guests. 11 For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will
be exalted.” It would be better if your
boss gave you praises for the work you COULD accomplish instead
of belittling you because of not being able to do the work that you had
promised you could do.
5. Not taking yourself seriously. This rule needs to strike an equal balance.
When you take yourself very seriously, you run the risk of others
perceiving you as pompous and a “know it all.” But, if you don’t find the balance between
being serious at times that require it and having fun at appropriate times, you
may never be seen as the authority figure you want to be. This can be a very difficult attribute to
develop, but NOT an impossible one.
So keep working on finding that point of balance that works for you.
Breaking rules can have a negative impact
on some areas in your life that you may not expect. Study the pros and cons of a rule before you
decide to break it and then act in your best interest. Remember that most rules are put into place
for a reason. Make sure you understand
that reason and the consequences that may result from not following the rule.
I recall two friends meeting at a point
familiar to them both. Upon arriving the
friends noticed that a “fence” had been placed on the property. The first friend said “I’m not going to be
bound by this ridiculous fence” and immediately jumped over. The second friend quickly shouted “It’s not a
fence! It’s a barrier that’s placed on
the side of the cliff to get you from falling off!” It’s was too late for the first friend has he
plummeted over the cliff edge to the rocky bottom hundreds of feet below. Some rules are put into place for a similar
reason.
Now it has not been the purpose of this
blog article to create “rebel rousers” or those who are going to be “anti”
anything! I have intended to provide you
with some “food for thought” in the event you are, have been, or will be,
considering to follow the path of breaking the rules? After you evaluate the conditions of YOUR
situation you will be responsible for the decisions you make and the suffering
(or benefiting) from the consequences that follow. Always remember that with any decision you
consider you already have a great handicap plaguing you because we’re
only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"Understand the rule
before you break it.
It may be there for your protection!"
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