Setting your own rules (and then following them)
I've never had a problem with rules.
That's not to say that I like rules when other people impose arbitrary ones on me -- I don't -- but I understand why that happens. After growing up in a semi-strict household, attending a Baptist university for 2 years, and spending 20 years in the military, I suppose I'm just accustomed to living by rules.
When it comes down to it, I believe the main reason I don't mind rules is because I like a streamlined life without a lot of surprises, i.e. I don't want to deal with the consequences of breaking the rules.
For example:
- I don't smoke pot, because it's illegal and I don't like the variables involved
- I overpay on my taxes, because I don't want to end up on the short end of an audit
- I drive an acceptable speed on the highway, because I don't want to deal with being pulled over
And so on.... Some would call me overly cautious. Whatever.
Anyway, when I find myself in need of some added discipline in my nutrition consumption, I set new rules for myself.
Recently I have found myself staying up later, and so doing a lot of late-night snacking -- sometimes 1000 calories worth. That's not good! I don't need those extra calories, and there is no real reason to be doing the snacking.
That called for a new rule: No eating after 8:00pm.
At various times in my life, I
- quit caffeine for 18 months, because I wanted to see if life was better without it -- it wasn't
- quit drinking for 18 months, because I was having liver issues -- my liver is fine, but now I drink a whole lot less, because I found I enjoyed not drinking
- quit grains for 6 months, because I wanted to see what that was like -- it was okay, but I've added grains back into my diet in quite a bit more moderation than before
- quit eating meat for 36 months, because I wanted to break my fast-food habit -- it worked!
For whatever reasons, I set those rules for those times in my life when I felt I needed them, and I somehow stuck with them until they were no longer necessary.
How about you? Can you create some rules to help yourself reach a goal? If you think that might work for you, create those rules and stick to them!