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Before talking about breaking the rules, let’s consider why we should break the rules. First of all, this is not an endorsement to become a member of America’s Most Wanted. Breaking the rules has less to do with conforming legally to rules and much more to do with ensuring we don’t limit ourselves or let fear hold us back. Naturally most of us impose rules upon ourselves that limit our thoughts, actions, imagination or down playing our abilities.

True there needs to be boundaries and checks and balances, however when we intend to start a business or take on our ventures in hopes of reward we need to remember there will always be risk in the unknown. Most will say it’s about doing all we can to minimize those risks, and that’s true, that can be accomplished by getting better informed. However, we also must acknowledge the other side of the coin, which is learning to manage and tolerate the risk when it can’t be avoided instead of running the other way, as a very prominent quantum physicist Niels Bohr quoted an expert is a man who has made all the mistakes, which can be made, in a very narrow field.

Not being able to function in a risk filled environment or not having the courage to make mistakes will ensure you never get the full in-depth knowledge, instinct and intuition that can only come from these activities. As an entrepreneur our instinct and intuition are extremely valuable and ensure we can make the correct choices when we are forced to make critical decisions with very little information. Breaking the rules is all about facing fears, knowing no matter what happens our time is limited and it’s important to keep that in mind and make the most of each day. We also need to keep in mind no matter what happens assuming no truly serious problems arise we will be awake and breathing the next day and we will still have the ability to smile at the end of the day if we so chose to and that is truly all that counts. Being fearless is all about knowing you will be alive tomorrow to face the next day (baring any physical carelessness that is) and the next set of challenges in life you chose to undertake, keeping in mind it’s the journey not the destination and every failure is a new learning opportunity and another brick towards building your dreams and nothing more.

Have you ever seen foreigners come into the U.S. without a dime in their pocket and find them running their own small restaurant or hotdog stand the next year and doing relatively well for themselves? I chose this example because it’s something I’ve experienced on more than one occasion. I thought to myself how they managed to pull it off with no strong education or resources. And I finally came to the conclusion after speaking with them, they all had a few things in common, they

• Broke the Rules on how a restaurant is supposed to be started and instead just took action and took things one day at a time using common sense as their guide.
• B.) Were fearless because they had nothing to lose and everything to gain they were willing to take the risks required and willing to make the mistakes required, yes they knew they would make mistakes, but that didn’t discourage them one bit, because they knew they would be alive and breathing the next day to learn from them.   
• C.) Did not limit themselves and had confidence in their abilities while acquiring resources one day at a time.   
• D.) Did not listen to criticism because most didn’t many people so they never heard the words “You can’t do it that way” or “You don’t have what it takes”.
• E.) They had the right mindset and believed they came to the “Land of Opportunity” as they call it, most of us today may think it’s a land filled with bills, 9-5 work days and high gas prices.

The reason we think this way is because we are refusing to let go of our need for security. The need for security, debt and overspending together are the ball, chain and shackles that keep us from reaching for the true Opportunities and keep us enslaved to our car payments and home payments and credit card payments and business as usual. We must understand getting in debt is selling a resource you only have so much of, your time! Getting in debt steals your time since you need to use it to repay your creditors instead of using It to create a money paying asset and real opportunities, instead you become someone else’s money paying asset and opportunity.

So on breaking the Rules, the mind set described above and the fortitude that comes with it are what you must have to jump off the mouse wheel in the proverbial rat race and begin on a road to true wealth and freedom. I understand some of us have families and children and mouths to feed and need to focus more on security, and this need for security is the American way and the so called American Dream. Please understand the points I’ve made are valid, I don’t say it because I want to discourage anyone, only to point out that any need for security makes it harder to start a business. I understand not all of us want to be entrepreneurs and for some a normal 9am-5pm life is completely satisfying, and to that I must say to each his or her own, one decision is no more right than another, it’s simply a matter of choice and what satisfies us.

To truly empower your way of thought you need to accept the fact it is your choice to work for an employer and any discontent comes from your own choice and no one is making you do it but you and your fears. To begin strengthening our mindset and dispelling negative attitudes, beliefs, bias and damaging emotions we must first take responsibility for our thoughts and actions. After accepting responsibility for our actions we can begin to honestly perform a self assessment and become introspective to begin correcting the damaging negative beliefs and attitudes that may hinder and limit our powerful human spirit.