When to break the rules

If you want to do anything extraordinary, it’s likely that you’re going to need to break some rules.

But not all rules should be broken, some are there for a reason.

So how do you decide when to break them?

I ask myself these six questions:

  1. Is this likely to cause harm to someone?

  2. Am I OK with that?

  3. What’s the potential downside to me?

  4. Can I live with that?

  5. Is this rule real or is it someone’s perception?

  6. Is this a short term win that might compromise a long term relationship?

There’s no hard and fast way to make your decision, but just remember that success often lies outside of the box.

And sometimes you need to break some rules to get outside the box.