I broke a lot of rules in elementary school and middle school. I cut in line, helped start a food fight in the cafeteria, and never rose my hand when talking. Almost every report card mailed to my home said the words “needs self-discipline” in the comments box. Regardless of this behavior, I still grew up to be a pretty well-behaved guy. I don’t steal or break laws every chance I get and I’m not often regarded as a troublemaker.
I think once in a while, it’s necessary to break some rules in order to fully enjoy life. You can’t be the normal guy/gal who sits around in a cubicle waiting for something exciting to happen in your life. Like most things, breaking rules comes with risk. But without that risk, there wouldn’t be any reward. If you never broke the rules, you’d admit that you’re satisfied with the average. With the norm. You just want to be another ant in the ant hill.
I have a brilliant friend here at Berkeley. He’s intelligent in every way, yet when I asked him what his biggest goals were, he simply said “I would be ok with a desk job from 9-5, where I can go home, watch some TV shows and go back to work the next morning.” When I heard this, I was shocked. It’s like hearing Tiger Woods say, “Oh, I’m ok with just dominating the holes over at Golfland,” or Donald Trump telling me “I’ll just stick with the apartment managing business.”
It’s hard for me to understand why some people aren’t willing to break some rules and do something great if they truly have the talent to do so. Even if you don’t have talent, you can work hard to develop some with enough experience. Some people just hate risk and are satisfied with a comfortable life. I’m all for security but there’s definitely enough time in your life to break some rules and do something crazy.
Think about it.