11.2.11

Breaking The Rules: Not What You Think

"Sometimes you have to break the rules around you to keep the rules within you" -Martha Beck 

Grand Prismatic Spring; Hot Springs Yellowstone National Park.

Breaking The Rules: Not What You Think
The prompt I selected this week for MamaKat's Writer's Workshop, {5. Read the following quote and respond: "Sometimes you have to break the rules around you to keep the rules within you" } comes from a quote in an article, 20 Questions That Could Change Your Life, by Martha Beck, a contributing editor for O Magazine. It is #17 and the rest of it is below.
17. Where should I break the rules?
If everyone kept all the rules, we'd still be practicing cherished traditions like child marriage, slavery, and public hangings. The way humans become humane is by assessing from the heart, rather than the rule book, where the justice of a situation lies. Sometimes you have to break the rules around you to keep the rules within you.

I think it becomes pretty clear when we look at the 20 questions that Martha's point is that we must step forward and honor the spring flowing from our hearts - our heart's calling. To keep the rules within us, we must act; regardless of the socio-cultural mores that hold us back. Many of us grew up in cultures that had very specified roles for men and women. These roles were often followed by rules of conduct, lines each member was not allowed to cross, expectations for each gender, and penalties for those who dared speak truth to their own power.

These codified rules meant that many of us, men and women, I dare say more women, never dared to meet our inner diva; to claim our fullest power because we were always being guided by restrictions masquerading as propriety. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor; to heal people of their pain and suffering. While I was not exactly discouraged, there was no big rush to support that dream. The dream that seemed to be encouraged was that of teacher, or historian; perfectly legitimate fields but not what I imagined.

Now don't get me wrong, but I wasn't speaking of traditional medicine either. The word healer had deeper meaning to me as a child and I knew it had more to do with healing inner pain than physical wounds. As I matured,  I learned to honor what was expected of me but soon found myself turning more and more to paths of healing; be it through words, music or other non-traditional methods. Yet, anther ancient voice would always intervene... "Seek the professions, go mainstream, be mainstream and then ... hold back." 


Win Trips of a Lifetime
Win Trips of a Lifetime

Many of us settle for a safe path to our destiny when a greater calling is truly attached to our name. We don't want to upset others, to look foolish, to live beyond some prefabricated dream set up for us by others, and then we wonder why we live lives of quiet desperation. Who ever told us we could not, should not dream? Who taught us that the path to our destiny is only in a particular form that they envisioned for us? 

We are truly the masters of our destiny, and until we step forward and break the chain of - I Can't - within our spirit, we will remain tied to crusty rules created by others for us. Who have you loved and left because society or family said they weren't "one of us" or "good" enough? What dream have you set aside because others believed you were not good enough?

Until we break the chains of oppression within; the rules around us, we will be left with a lifetime of never knowing what the guide within us really needs or what our inner promptings can really accomplish. Follow the cues within your heart. We are made by a greater force than we could ever imagine. What I know for sure is that as we believe and push through our fears and claim our greater, authentic destiny, the universe, God, Creator, call it what you may, will rally to support us.

Go for the dream, break the inner bondage and the outer rules. Time waits for no one. Some Food for Thought: What rules are you fighting? What rule has your heart been prompting you to break for a long time?  Like a camera, focused on its subject, the heart never lies. What are your thoughts? A Happy Valentine's Day awaits you!  

I would love to hear from you.  Please leave me a comment. Thank You!  

PHOTO CREDITS:   Photograph of a Grand Prismatic Spring via Wikipedia  

Until Next Time… 
Ask. Believe. Receive. 
© Elizabeth Obih-Frank  
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet


14 comments:

  1. I love the ideas you're posting.

    The more positivity the better. I am a great believer that you have to break rules (to an extent) to get outside the square and move into a new paradigm or situation with changed rules.

    Society is so full of silly rules keeping people from experiencing, I agree with your post.

    Live a little.....

    Please drop over to our blog and see if we can inspire a little.

    Thanks- I think we are your first 'regular' follower !?

    http://beourbest.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. New Follower from Friday Blog Hop:) http://christinbanda.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. New follower from Friendly Friday.

    I love your phrasing "honor the spring flowing from our hearts"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Finding my inner diva...I like the sound of that.

    Thanks for the trip contest link!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Martha Beck is a great writer and I used to read her articles in O Magazine.

    I'm following you now. Please follow back :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. hi i'm a new follower!

    ReplyDelete
  7. greetings by
    http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/fear-rage-liberty/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Eliz,
    I can't believe that in all this time following your other blog, I never came over to this one.
    So glad you did the Mega Blog Hop because now i have another blog (this one) which I MUST read every day!
    I second the motion on everything you say here...we do construct our own prison and we are inmate and jailer...if we allow ourselves to, we can just turn the key and fly out! But turning the key is often scary...it seems safer in there sometimes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. if we had the courage, we'd break them when they're wrong .. great post .. cheers alan

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's interesting that I have some situations where I very comfortably break the rules and others where I'd never dream of doing so.
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! As usual E, you have given me food for thought! What rules am I living by that need breaking? Hmmm...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello all,
    Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment... I appreciate feedback and have most likely reciprocated with same. If you have a GFC account, I have joined yours too.
    Wishing you an abundant year! :-)
    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  13. thank you for stopping by my blog! I'm a new follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your blog. So nice and inspirational!

    I'm following back. Thanks for visiting my blog.

    Mickey
    A Helicopter Mom

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking a moment to comment ... It is appreciated!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...