In your personal philosophy, what’s essential? What’s off-limits? What’s negotiable?

And when was the last time you thought about it?

We’re always in flux. With each new book we read and each new person we meet, our clean edges blur, then morph. We become a little wiser, a little smarter, a little more patient, and a little more accepting of others’ imperfections.

At the same time, we get to know ourselves better and better. As we’re exposed to more information, we become more certain of what we want (and don’t want) for our lives.

But we don’t always update our ground rules.

  • What are you doing “because this is the way I’ve always done it”? If you stopped, what would happen?
  • What new opportunities are you ruling out before giving them a fair shake? If you grabbed one, what would happen?
  • Where could you compromise to free up resources? What are you compromising on that you shouldn’t?

It’s worth remembering that as we change, our ground rules need to change, too.

And we’re always changing.