Becoming an Outlaw: Breaking Tape and Societal Norms in a Modern Rebellion
What does it mean to be an Outlaw?
I often think about this as the word has always held a feeling of mindful rebellion to me. Someone who is well aware of the rules that are in place, has likely adhered to and quite possibly upheld these rules for a time. Then, there was a point where the tide shifted and they saw the flaws in what the 'rules' had constructed. What was paved to be 'the way' is keeping us suppressed from expression, success, individual and cultural development, and the best quality of life.
So, it becomes ingrained in such a person to lean into breaking some of the rules and pursuing a greater understanding of how we can live, work, and play better. To dedicate themselves, their work, their life to helping people shift lenses and study new perspectives. To help others see that the norms we've adhered to are because we fell in line and didn't question if we were acting out of our joy for something, or were following a path because 'that's just what you do'. I'm reminded of Grace Hopper's quote that the most dangerous phrase in the English language is: "because we've always done it that way". If that's the reason for doing something, we haven't truly investigated if that action is in service to us or others; if it was, we'd have a better answer as to why we do it.
Being an Outlaw isn't about breaking the law, committing theft, being harmful towards others, or any malicious act that might be associated with the term. It's about standing firmly on what is most important to our well being: Joy, Happiness, Love, Creativity, Compassion, Peace. It's about looking around and taking notice of your life and making shifts when something doesn't feel right. It's about saying "F--- it" to outdated systems, constructs, processes that you know are out of alignment with how you can be impactful. It's about balance between Fight-or-Flight and Rest-and-Digest, recognizing that in stillness and reflection is where we achieve the most growth. It's about being invested in your development - personally, professionally, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically - as a priority; NOT "after you take care of everything and/or everybody else."
Take some stock of your current status. Start with a simple identification practice:
Remind yourself of your 'why'. Why did you get into this industry, this relationship, this environment? Is that reason still valid to you and does it align with where you are and what you're doing?
Reflect on what comes up:
Is the reason you started still being fulfilled? Are you able to sit in stillness, or are you actively keeping yourself busy? If it's the latter, there is something you are avoiding in the stillness. Is this situation still serving you, or are you remaining stuck for fear of something?
Integrate a new approach:
Make shifts to how you speak to and about your situation, your relationships, your career...yourself. Instead of "I have to..." use "I get to...". Stop punctuating statements and sentences with "...but nobody's perfect", "...I need to do more", "...because I'm really bad at...". The road to feeling awesome is by seeing how awesome you are. Set the best example by speaking highly about yourself and others.
What happens when we 'break the tape' and get out of our comfort zone? You've done it before, so call back to one of those times that you had to make a choice to jump. Did the worst happen? NO! Was it better on the other side of that fear? YES! This is how we shift our mindset. This is how we motivate and inspire ourselves and others to believe in how good we can have it when we're willing to challenge and conquer fear. We thrive! We become happier, healthier, and more successful as we remove outdated constraints.
Listen, I know this isn't easy to put yourself under a microscope. We avoid it for fear of judgement, shame, stress, anxiety, etc. Staring these feelings in the face is all too often uglier than keeping ourselves trapped. However, often this will give you the validation you need to make a change and you'll see that resistance is required for growth. Trust that the best things in life are on the other side of fear, outside of your comfort zone where the next best version of you is waiting.
Let's break some rules. Let's be Outlaws...
- M.
