Who Says You Always Have to Comply?

Life has many rules. There seems to be different sets of rules for each aspect of life, and sets of rules for different kinds of lives. Who makes the rules is not clear, but there are “rulers” who dictate how life should be lived.

We are all victims. We follow many fabricated life rules without question. Once upon a time, we woke up to find out that doing this and being that were wrong; and we simply accepted these as facts. Let me give you some examples. They say:

1. You have to look flawless.

For decades, media have been telling us that possessing less-than-perfect facial features is unacceptable. Hence, they urge us to buy this and have that, no matter if it costs us much. We believed that. We started to feel inferior and embarrassed when we think (or are told) that we are not as good-looking as someone else is.

DEFIANCE: Don’t buy too much of things that are not needed for health, hygiene, and self-improvement. Instead, make your own rules. Tell yourself that outer appearance is not as important as inner characteristics are.

2. You ought to be in position.

Many people study and work so hard to get promoted or to be above everybody else. People made you believe that if you are not in position, you are a failure. If you are in position, you are a great success.

This is not always true. Many people doing menial jobs like garbage collection, shining shoes, and housekeeping live happy and peaceful lives. Most of them have happy homes and noble characters, which many rich people terribly lack.

DEFIANCE: Form your own life rules and insist that real success occurs when you have peace, joy, and a good character.

3. You should be ashamed of your body if you have no bulky muscles, or if you are not sexy.

Many have been victimized by this rule; with some of them ending up worse than before the rule affected them. Just look at how some jerks take steroid injections and end up with heart ailments.

DEFIANCE: Being fit does not mean having bulky muscles or being sexy. Keeping a trim tummy and toned muscles are enough to keep fit. The gym is not always the answer to fitness. One of the myths we have to expose is the belief that the gym is the only place where we can stay fit. The usual house chores or even some of your hobbies can keep you fit if done with a little imagination, and if combined with the right diet.