Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)

Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)In her brilliant book,Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert tells the fable of a great saint who would lead his followers in meditation. There was a slight problem. Just as the followers were dropping into their zen moment, they would get disrupted by a cat who would walk through the temple meowing and purring and bothering everyone.The saint came up with a simple solution He began to tie the cat to a pole during meditation sessions. This solution quickly developed into a ritual Tie the cat to the pole first, meditate second.When the cat eventually died (of natural causes), a religious crisis ensued. What were the followers supposed to do? How could theypossiblymeditate without tying the cat to the pole?This story illustrates what I call phantom rules. These are rules that you cant see. Theyre habits and behaviors that have unnecessarily rigidified into dogma. Theyre unlike writte n rules, which are visible. The written rules appear right there in the standard operating procedures and can be amended or deleted.Although written rules can be stubborn to change, phantom rules are even more stubborn. Theyre the silent killers that constrain our thinking and keep us inside an invisible fence without us even being aware of it. They turn us into a rat trapped in aSkinner box, pressing the same lever over and over again- except we designed the box and were free to venture out at any time. Were perfectly capable of meditating without the cat, but we dont realize it.We then make things worse by defending our boxes and self-imposed limitations.We could do things differently, we say,but our supply chain, our software, our budget, our skillset, our education, this-or-that doesnt allow it.As the saying goes, argue for your limitations, and you get to keep them.In all affairs, British philosopher Bertrand Russell writes, its a healthy thing now and then to hang a question m ark on the things you take for granted. To expose these phantom rules, spend a day questioning everything you do- from the route you drive to work to the software you use to send emails. With each commitment, each assumption, each budget item, ask yourselfWhat if this werent true? Why am I doing it this way? Can I get rid of this or replace it with something better?Be careful if you find yourself coming up with multiple reasons to keep something. By invoking more than one reason, as Nassim Taleb observes, you are trying to convince yourself to do something.Demand current- not historical- supporting evidence. Many of our routines and procedures were developed in response to problems that no longer exist. But the immune response remains long after the pathogen leaves.The best way to expose phantom rules is to violate them. Go for a seeming moonshot you dont think youll achieve. Ask for a raise you dont think you deserve. Apply for a job you dont think youll get.Youll find, after all, that itispossible to meditate without the cat.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com.