Don’t Make Exceptions
Don’t Make Exceptions
In this life, to protect what’s yours, you have to set up some rules that will keep away the bad stuff from you. Per example, if you want to protect your time, you have to set up some rules like not watching TV at all, or only taking phone calls in a particular time of the day or if you want to protect your health, you have to set up rules like not eating from fast foods.
The rules are all great because will make a clear line between you and the outside world, a line that if you keep strong, no one can cross and that it’s easier, but the hard thing is to prevent yourself from passing it.
If you have the rule that you’re not eating the fast food then if that hot chick asks you to go at McDonald's with her you won’t make an exception just because she’s hot. You will have to stand by your rule and either take her out to a proper restaurant where they serve adequate food or turn her down.
If you make an exception for her, because you want to get in her pants, but you’re afraid of confronting her, then that exception will soon become the new rule. Once you make an exception, the new exception will become the new rule. From now on instead of never eating fast foods you will make an exception, you will now eat every weekend from McDonald's just because it doesn't seem such a bad thing, you will make an exception that will soon take over and become the new rule. You either stay strong by your standards, or you may as well not even create them.
My Story
About two months ago, after regularly checking out @gamer00’s posts, I was fired up about photography and decided to take part into his OPED(One photo every day) initiative and start to post photography.
At first, I was very excited, and I remember that I took a lot of pictures in my first weekend, in the hope that I will learn something and get better, hell, I was so pumped up that I even took the commitment of posting photography every day for one year. Little did I know what was going to happen, on one Friday when I was getting ready for a party, I either forgot to make the post and, or I didn’t have enough time, I can’t even remember but it was one of them, and I skipped a day.
I made an exception; I didn’t post for one day even if I said that I would post every day and soon that exception became the new rule. It only took a few obstacles form the life for me to drop off publishing photography, I had to change my phone, and I didn’t have a camera for about one week. When I received the new phone, the exception already took over, and I didn’t post photography posts ever since.
This story is not about commitments because it’s a good thing that I dropped out of posting photography since I wasn’t good enough and now I have more time to focus on my writings, but this is a story that can significantly point out how the exceptions can take over.
Conclusion
You have to be aware if you have set up rules, goals or commitments because you never know when life might throw a challenge at you and making one exception is enough. You do it once you’ll do it twice, is that simple.
You have to be cautious because life will kick you in the balls when you expect it the least and one little exception is enough to destroy your whole behavior. Now you will remember that one time when you did it and think it won't be so bad to do it again, so on and so forth until you even forget what the initial rule was.
Don't make exceptions for anyone because you will soon make them for everyone.
The other pictures are taken from Pixabay: 1, 2.
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You are so right about what happens when you make an exception -- the exception, in my personal experience, always takes over. But it's pretty easy for me to stick to my list of don'ts -- such as not eating processed junk food; it's the "do's" which I have trouble with. I can't stick to a routine where I do the same thing every day. Doing that makes me feel like I'm in brain jail or a straight-jacket. I did however, find something that really works great for me, and it's this -- I make a list of all my goals , then I break those goals down into super-mini goals which I can pick and choose from daily as my inspiration guides me. That is one "do" which I can stick to -- selecting from my list of mini goals and doing something or several somethings each day.
Twitter makes an exception to its rules to allow Donald Trump to threaten others. Do you think it's the beginning of the end for Twitter? That would be nice.
I have no idea, but people should ditch Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all the other shits like that and join us on Steem. If they think that content creation is too hard, they can always make an account when Appics launches, the Instagram of the blockchain, similar to Steem but for pictures.
It definitely isn't easy to make a pact with yourself and stick to it. I remember I've tried a lot of times myself. You totally nailed the part about exceptions being the cause of most backsliding. You make an exception once and it becomes the rule so fast. In the end discipline is key, but boy is shit hard or what!
True story. I believe this is related to our discipline. If we are serious about our commitments then we will do whatever it takes to withstand that commitment. But being disciplined 24/7 is not easy job.
I am trying to increase my discipline by learning about it subject, but of course sometimes I fail and let time pass without finishing whatever it is I am trying to finish.
But I suppose no one is perfect, so we need to also measure our disappointment when we fail at our own commitments, and not exaggerate it.
I couldn't agree more. I've tried, countless times, to wake up early in the morning. I would take early classes in hopes that since I'll wake up early during the week, I will be on a nice schedule and waking up early will be super easy for me.
Then weekends would come by and I'll be like, "Oh it's Saturday. I worked hard all week; I deserve to sleep in over the weekend." Nope. Bad. Once I made that exception, I slowly started doing it every weekend. Eventually, at one point, it even turned into skipping classes just so I could sleep in.
So yes, if you made a promise to yourself to do or to not do something, stick to it. No matter how rainy or snowy it is, go to the gym and get a 30 minute workout in instead of breaking your streak. If you made a promise to yourself that you will only eat pizza once every two weeks; you happen to walk by a pizza place and the smell got you? Keep moving bud. Don't be weak. Easier said than done though. ;)
I hate waking up early, I don't know how people are doing it. I have to wake at 5:30am and I'm always like "Fuck, fuck, fuck" especially that after I get home I have less time for my work and I always end up staying awake almost till midnight.
I take full advantage of my weekends so I can get a decent night of sleep and rest myself. But also, over sleeping is not good either, I mostly don't like it because ma day is smaller in that case.
It's hard to stick to it, but necessary.
There are times when exceptions have to be made even though i agree that we should strive for "0 exception rule". For example when we finish the tournament in Hamburg at 4-5 o’clock and teammates need to go to work 2morrow. We have to depart ASAP (we don’t have time to buy food) and we have to do it somewhere on the highway, where there are only fast foods. Therefore the only time I eat fast foods is when I’m on the road back home from the tournament. If I refused to eat fast food even there, I would cause more harm to my body that is in desperate need of "food injection". But otherwise I agree. Making exceptions shouldn’t be done lightly!
I get that, sometimes an exception may be needed but most people are doing them all the time. Look into intermittent fasting, it's an interesting thing, you may like it.
@guyfawkesr4-20, I'm right there with you! I had a terrible addiction for sweets that actually made me give up exercising for a month. I was aware, I stated I would be a fat ass for a month. Now I'm sweet free for a couple of days and I've been lifting, running, doing yoga and I feel wonderful.
I'm going to start a progression post about my fitness journey. I challenge you to do the same with one of your goals! I hope you consider and really commit.
Keep Steeming Brother!
Hey mam, that's a great idea, I like it a lot. I think I might start something similar anytime soon but we'll see about it. :)
Yeah! Movement!
You are absolutely right. Stick to your rules, because once broken you can't go back. It's something that most parents can verify. Stick to your guns and never falter!
Easier said than done but people have to do it no matter what.
Maybe it was for the best for you that you went into other things than photography in the end ;)
I don't agree with this post though as much - exceptions sometimes set new rules, as you say, but they might be for the best.
In Greece we have a saying: The exception confirms the rule.
Rules without exceptions are no rules - they're just a boring list which has no meaning. It's the exceptions that give the rules meaning. Same as limits sometimes are to be broken... ;)
Of course, as in my case, sometimes the exceptions may improve the initial rule but not always. :)
Unfortunately working out is quite the same way. It becomes easier to easier not to go.
One thing that's pretty neat is the don't break the chain method. The goal here is you have 3 goals that can be easily completed in 15 minutes a piece and then keep a visual calender and mark an x everyday you complete all 3 things. The obvious goal is to fill up the calendar with as many continuous x's as possible.
Huh. I'd never heard about the x method. Will have to try this out. Involving as many ways to make us feel accomplished is the best way to form a habit!
Hmm, that's an interesting method, I've never heard of it but it makes a lot of sense. I might try it in the future if needed.