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Olachi Olatunji: Crushing These Bulls**t Rules
If your beliefs aren’t even yours, then are you yourself at all? Makes you wonder why there are so many people running around with no sense of identity, no knowledge of who they are. They have relied on others to decide who they are, and therefore who they can become – it is a tragedy, really.
The first time I heard the term bulls*** rules I remember thinking to myself, Wait, bulls*** what? Bulls***-Rules. You know what they are? They are these set of unwritten rules that the world expects us to live by, but when you break them down, you find out that they really are just BS. So Vishen Lakhiani, founder of MindValley, decided to term them ‘Bulls***-Rules’ and I’m gonna tell you all about them.
Man, by being, is programmable, and I’ll tell you what I mean in a sec.
If you strip down the things you generally hold to be true, your beliefs, you will notice that most of the things you believe are not a result of your conscious or rational choosing. You have grown to believe many things through programming, repetition and indoctrination. You basically believe a lot of things because you were told at some point in your life that that’s just how life is. This would have been alright if the beliefs passed on were consistently beneficial, but this is not always the case – matter of fact, it rarely is.
As infants, we are born without beliefs, with no real concept of right or wrong, good or bad. Society tells us what is acceptable and what is not. Culture determines what length a boy’s hair should be, parents dictate who they expect us to be friends with, and what they think we should study. Religion is clear on who makes a satisfactory spouse and who does not.
If you really really think about it, we are largely a product of our programming. Yes, there are exceptions, but by and large, many of us are still living the lives that someone somewhere told us to live.
“We have taken our definitions of what is acceptable and what is not from people other than ourselves, imagining that they know more about our lives than we do.”
Now I understand the place of parents, teachers and others in authority over us, and they are very much needed. But we must not be oblivious of the fact that it is very easy for them to pass on their beliefs to us, whether these beliefs are necessary for our growth or not. To be really honest, a lot of their beliefs are bulls*** and you really need to chuck them, hold on to what serves you only.
The thing with beliefs is that they are fact. Whatever you believe becomes ‘fact’ for you, so it is possible that you can live your whole life living someone else’s beliefs and experiencing the life that goes with it. How uncool.
If your beliefs aren’t even yours, then are you yourself at all? Makes you wonder why there are so many people running around with no sense of identity, no knowledge of who they are. They have relied on others to decide who they are, and therefore who they can become – it is a tragedy, really.
But not today!
Today, we are crushing all bulls**t rules, making up new rules to replace them. I do apologize for all the swear words in this post if it hurts your senses, there are just a few more to come and we’ll be done – I promise.
To attempt a definition – a bulls**t rule is a belief about yourself or life that you have always believed to be true, even if it isn’t necessarily true. It’s mostly negative, and a result of unintentional or intentional indoctrination. Here are a few bullshit rules we need to get rid of today.
Bulls**t rule 1 – To make money, you have to work really really really hard
Hard work is important, but don’t get stuck thinking that unless you sweat and toil, you cannot have the success or the money you want. Just look around you, too many examples to be a fluke.
Bulls**t rule 2 – To be a happy and successful woman, you need a man
Nobody should ever need anyone other than themselves to make them happy. You don’t need anyone, you might want ‘em because really, what would life be without men? Hehehe.
Bulls**t rule 3 – I need to go to school to make any money
Education is important, but you do not always need the four walls of a room to learn. You hundred per cent need education, but it does not have to come in the form of a college degree. Your knowledge is not less valuable just because it didn’t come with a certificate. You feel me?
Bulls**t rule 4 – She is less of a woman because she did not physically birth a child
This is bulls**t, and that’s all I’m saying about that.
I know how sensitive this is, and I say it with the utmost consideration for all concerned, but it’s just not true and it’s painful to see people feel less themselves for something they have no control over. This one pains me on a personal level. Chuck this BS rule quickly.
Bulls**t rule 5 – Money is the root of evil
If you believe this, then you will stay far away from money. How do you think something is evil and keep trying to get it? It’s counter-intuitive. Money is great, it’s what you do with it that makes it either evil or good.
Bulls**t rule 6 – I can’t make money from doing what I really love
Oohhh, watch me and you can too. Might take a little time and cost a lot, but it is possible. There are too many life examples for it not to be possible.
I can go on, but where’s the fun in that? Get in on the gist and let us know what bulls*** rules you will be chucking today. Remember, if it doesn’t serve you, chuck it. *singing* bad energy stay far away.
