Break the Rules

This post is Day #25 in the 31 Days to a Better Work + Life Balance series.

I'm not one of those moms that lets my kids sleep in my bed. No judgment here, it's just that I wanted to train them to be at home in their own beds. Plus I always have a slight fear of accidentally rolling over and suffocating them in their sleep haha. But lately, they've been waking up in the middle of the night with those first little nightmares. Usually I rock them or sing to them but the last few times, it's been cold in the house. 

So I've been breaking the rules.

It's so much easier to calm them down by just smuggling them in next to me until they feel safe again. Once they're calm, back to bed they go.

What Are You Doing Just Because?

Are there things in your life that are stressing you out because you think you "have to" do them a certain way? Matching socks is another perfect example. I always get stressed when I can't find a clean matching pair. Even though I know no one will see them, they HAVE to match! 

Or What Are You NOT Doing Because Everyone Else Avoids It? 

Is there something deep down that tells you, “This is the way things should be done” but you don’t listen because no one else does things this way? 

I used to work in a department store and it would drive me crazy all of these things that we were told to ask the customer as they were checking out. Have you signed up for our credit card? Did you want to add some sunglasses? Have you tried this new perfume? I never felt motivated to offer these things, but mostly just felt forced to do them.

Deep down, I KNEW that I always tuned out whenever people give me a sales pitch as I was trying to leave.

But those were the "rules" of good sales. Even if it was awkward and they never worked. 

After awhile, I realized that I didn't want to follow those rules. I wanted to talk to my customers like they were actual people. I wanted to help them get what they needed so I only made suggestions based on our conversations. Guess what? My sales went up. My awkwardness, guilt and stress levels went down. 

What does this mean for you?

Are you getting stressed over things that don't matter that much or doing things that seem forced? What "rules" could you break to change your methods and up your motivation? Maybe the one thing you’re avoiding is the one thing that would make you stand out and improve your business.