Shatter those unhelpful life rules
Many of us go through life on autopilot. As we navigate the world, we make assumptions about to succeed and formulate cause-and-effect relationships to guide us. Many of us believe that our success and happiness depend on how well we follow these rules and relationships.
But what if that isn’t true? What if our life isn’t governed by these rules or relationships?
Last week, I wrote about a major shift in our world’s economy. Since the industrial revolution, economic growth has correlated with rising carbon emissions. This relationship became a staple in both economic and environmental thought, and some environmentalists feared rapid economic growth because of this relationship.
2013 marked the shattering of that relationship.
For the past few years, the world’s carbon emissions leveled off as economic growth continued. This unraveling relationship became known as decoupling.
Decoupling is incredibly important. But outside of carbon emissions itself, what does decoupling teach us?
Simply put, we should never assume relationships and correlations as locked, unchangeable, or immutable. Especially detrimental ones.
What sort of held relationships or correlations hold you back?
More money or wealth will increase your happiness
We hear people rail against this relationship all the time — that wealthy individuals are often the least happy. However, in times of financial stress or strain, we often believe that having more money or wealth would make us happier. That could be true, but it also could be wildly false.
This belief can cause struggling entrepreneurs throwing in the towel, or prevent creatives from pursuing their passion, and or push great ideas into oblivion.
If you are one of those people financially struggling while in the pursuit of your goals, ask yourself:
“Would I actually be happier if I had more money?”
Would you have the same freedom to pursue your passion and the same drive to become the person you desire to be if you had a better financial situation?
Maybe, but you likely wouldn’t. Losing that drive and passion may be more painful in the long-run. The pain of regret stings.
More formal education will increase your opportunity
It’s true, having certain degrees opens doors and career opportunities. Job postings usually specify some level of education. Unfortunately, these requirements shut out many without the privilege to pursue higher education.
However, not all hope is lost.
As the internet has matured, a wealth of information rests at our fingertips. We can teach ourselves new skills — like coding— or teach ourselves new topics — like finance, food systems, or neuroscience.
Moreover, the internet allows for us to connect with people around the world who share similar interests. We can build networks and tribes that enhance our learning and possibilities. Ultimately, our drive and thirst for knowledge can be more powerful than any initial education in determining our future.
To be clear, not everyone has adequate access to the internet, so breaking this relationship is still a privilege. For that reason, we must champion affordable and reliable internet access for those who still lack it.
These two examples represent common ideas or themes that prevent people from pursuing their dreams. But we all have other assumed relationships or correlations that hold us back.
What are those? And more importantly, how can you shatter them?
