Play by Your Rules

Welcome to my monthly Point of View.

Three Benefits to Playing the Game By Your RULES

We are all playing this wonderful Game of Life. And like every game you've ever played, if you want to be successful, you need to know the RULES you're going to play by.

Now, I'm not talking about society's rules or someone else's rules. I'm talking about YOUR RULES.

Your RULES are simple statements about WHO you want to be and HOW, through your daily habits, you will think, speak and act. They become YOUR Standard for how you want to play the Game of Life.

And when you consistently play by those RULES, something pretty remarkable happens. You begin to intentionally shape what I call The Brand Called YOU, which is simply your desired identity in action. It's the picture you carry of yourself and the reputation you earn based on how other people consistently experience you.

So why go through the effort of defining your RULES and intentionally playing by them? There are three big benefits.

1. Make Better, More Confident Decisions

When you know WHO you want to be and the RULES you want to live by, you have a filter for making choices. Instead of constantly wondering what you should do, you can ask yourself a much simpler question: What would someone who plays by my RULES do?

2. Prioritize What Matters Most

We all have more demands competing for our time and attention than we could possibly satisfy. Your RULES help you decide what deserves a YES, what deserves a NO and where you want to invest your time and energy. They help keep what matters most from getting crowded out by everything else.

3. Earn Your Desired Identity

Think about identity the same way you think about trust. You can't simply tell someone, "I'm trustworthy," and expect them to believe you. Trust has to be earned over time by the way you consistently think, speak, and act.

Your identity works the same way. You don't become patient because you say you're patient. You don't become healthy because you say your health matters. And you don't become a great spouse, parent, friend or leader because you want to be one. You earn those identities through what you consistently do.

Every time you think, speak and behave in a way that aligns with your RULES, you're casting another vote for the person you want to become. Over time, those actions shape your self image, build your confidence, and help you experience more happiness because you're living more consistently as the person you want to be.

Life is a game. Define your RULES. Play by them consistently. And little by little, you'll earn the identity and reputation you desire.

Hey… this is just my Point of View.