I’m not crazy, I’m just colourful
When most people think of a “rebel,” they think of a troublemaker–someone who doesn’t like to follow rules and enjoys causing disruption.
Rebels aren’t just badasses that drive fast and cause mischief. They break rules in order to explore new ideas, uncharted territory, and create positive change. They create the friction required to test alternative ways of doing things that can lead to better solutions. Rebels conjure up creative solutions by balancing experimentation with a curious mind, and by tempering experience with a humble beginners approach, continually asking, “Why do we always do things this way?” and “Who are you to say I can’t do it?”. They understand that if you play by the rules or think you know it all already, you lose the ability to break new ground.
Let’s you and me jump in that river!
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. said Gretzky! It’s easy to ignore challenges, and say it’s too difficult, but there can be magic when you just go for it. Rebels learn to overcome both fear and frustration as a method to reach new ground.
Most of us struggle throughout our lives by thinking too long about situations. “You just keep thinkin’. Butch That’s what you’re good at.” Thinking through things is good at times because it buffers questionable behavior, but thinking too long and hard can create limiting beliefs that hold us back from what we want in life. My good friend and rafting guide once told me, “When you’re faced with an obstacle you have to asses, envision a strategy, and make your move. Because the longer you deliberate, the higher chance you’ll lose confidence, focus on the danger and screw up”.
I’m not saying rebels don’t care about anything—there’s nothing admirable about indifference—what I am saying is rebels generally tend to be more selective and consciously-directive about what they’re concerned about. Instead of looking at each decision in life as a single leap, they consider that life is a never-ending sequence of leaps. The more leaps, the more rewards. Risks often lead to courage and wisdom, and that can lead to furthering your self-discovery and reaching new-found territory.
The Rebel
Overall, I’m sure Rebels have made more decisions that have backfired, but they’ve probably made more awe-inspiring decisions too. Doing stupid shit can hurt big time and make you feel like a dummy, but it can also help you grow and become more resilient. You to learn your limits and boundaries, and become better at intuitively knowing when to pull back on the reins and when to go for it.
Rebels are less afraid of disappointment and getting hurt. It’s not that it doesn’t affect them, it’s that they value the risk-taking more than the risk. When they decide to drop into situations it’s done full tilt, aware they may crash—and sometimes they do. Other times, they break new territory and discover the life’s greatest rewards. They make mistakes, even making the same mistake twice, just to see how it goes the second time. Small price to pay for beauty!
Rebels tend to value vulnerability, allowing every experience to hit them with spellbinding intensity so that they can learn more, feel more, and grow more. Rebels aren’t afraid to discard their armour, because they’re excited to go deep into experiences.
Rebels don’t give up easily. They understand that many people give up too soon, and don’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up. They believe success is there if you give 110% and a persistent mind can make it past the finish line.
Rebels have a double-edged sword of independence. Rebels don’t like being told what to do and so they prefer independence. While they enjoy blazing new trails, they also have a tendency to feel isolated at times, with the feeling that they don’t fit in. Rebels are often told (and often believe) that something is deeply wrong with them, which can be very painful.
Rebels get a boost from challenges. 1-2-3-go! You won’t motivate a rebel by telling them “You should do this” or “People are counting on you”… You’d be better off saying “I bet you can’t do it!” That’s what will light the fire compelling them to do it. So much so, they will achieve impossible things just to prove they could. Rebels take great pleasure in defying people’s expectations.
Rebels do the opposite of everyone else. Rebels refuse to accept herd mentality and feel queasy at the thought of status quo. When they see the crowd headed in one direction, rebels go the opposite direction because they see opportunities in what others are ignoring.
Rebels prefer to be ready when the moment strikes. Pretty much any strategy that works well for the average person – accountability, goal setting, scheduling, etc. fail when it comes to Rebels because they resist any form of constraint or regimen. Rebels aren’t unreliable however, they just prefer to do things their own way, when the mood strikes; keeping the goal in mind, they keep their methods open, dynamic and varied. Because of this mindset, they achieve ambitious deadlines or outperform competition, simply because they love defying expectations.
Successful Rebels know rules aren’t all bad
Rules usually exist for a reason. Generally established in an attempt to create order and help life run more smoothly, rules aren’t always worth breaking. The most important Rebel tip is to be curious and not take everything at face value. Things evolve. Old rules that once proved useful become outdated and ought to be broken. Rebels examine and understand why a rule exists, and then decide whether or not kick that rule out of their way! For example, when cooking you might understand the methodology of baking pancakes — Flour, Milk, Sugar, Oil…and then decide you want Almond Flour, Soy Milk, Maple Syrup, and coconut oil. Breaking the rules can lead to innovation.
How to be a little more rebellious
The world needs Rebels as much as they need Obligers, and we can learn a thing of two from each other. If you want be a little more rebellious in your life, you have to leave behind what’s comfortable, familiar, and known. For some of us, it’s not easy to break rules. If you’re more compliant at heart, you could be talking yourself out of different experiences that could be really good for you, causing you to miss out on amazing experiences.
Rebel Tips
- Seek out new experiences
- Push back on the status-quo
- Dive into conversations, don’t shy away
- Be more authentic when decision-making
- Reflect on your true feelings and desires
- Learn the rules and then forget the rules
- Find freedom in structure
- Welcome the lessons from your F*** ups
- Become more comfortable being uncomfortable
Take advice from a rebel, “Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.” Sometimes you’ve got a vision that’s are far beyond what the average person would even think about—go for it!
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