15 Life Rules Worth Breaking

Welcome to the 577 new members of the curiosity tribe who have joined us since Friday. Join the 71,548 others who are receiving high-signal, curiosity-inducing content every single week.Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Revelo!If you’re a growing technology company, chances are you’re struggling to find talented developers right now.Revelo helps companies like GitHub, Intuit, and Carta hire faster, so they can grow faster! It’s a talent platform that matches you with vetted remote developers in Latin America who work in US time zones. It offers a full-suite platform that covers payroll, benefits, compliance, and more, allowing you to hire full-time remote developers without the headaches.Get matched with vetted candidates within 3 days—guaranteed. They even offer a 100% risk-free 14-day trial. If you’re not satisfied, you pay nothing.SPECIAL OFFER: Revelo is offering Curiosity Chronicle subscribers 20% off the first 3 months of any hire! Use the link below to take advantage of this crazy deal!Today at a Glance:“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.” - Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr.As children, we are taught to live by an ever-expanding set of rules. The rules keep us safe. They limit our downside during a fragile period of our lives. They also limit our upside, as they create artificial constraints on our movement and collisions as we travel through the universe.Rules are good—but just like the old man in the quote above, you have to know when to bend and break them.15 Life Rules Worth BreakingI’d like to open with one of my favorite quotes of all time:“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.” - Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr.Read that again.So much wisdom contained in such a short, concise statement.As children, we are taught to live by an ever-expanding set of rules. This is (mostly) good—it gives us a concrete, stable way to view the increasingly complex, dynamic world that we have entered.The rules keep us safe. They limit our downside during a fragile period of our lives.The problem? They also limit our upside, as they create artificial constraints on our movement and collisions as we travel through the universe. They force us to walk down a narrow path with bumpers on both sides—they eliminate the flashes of serendipity, the asymmetries that define the lives of the greatest among us.Rules may limit your risk, but they also limit your reward.Rules are good—but if you’re looking to play asymmetric games—those with low downside and uncapped upside—you have to know when to bend and break them.Here are 15 life rules worth breaking:Wait for the Perfect MomentThis rule has paralyzed would-be action-takers for generations.The reality: there is no such thing as the perfect moment.Sometimes you just have to open the door, jump out of the plane, and hope you packed the parachute tight.You Have to Work Hard to SucceedHard work is important—but it's relative, not absolute.In the Digital Age—when creative and inspired work stands out and is rewarded—what you work on is more important than how hard you work.Play your game, not theirs. You’ll play it better.Become an Expert, Not a GeneralistSociety celebrates experts in any given field.But as David Epstein finds in Range, many experts succeed because of the range of pursuits that preceded their main endeavor.Become a polymath. Generalize first, specialize later.Let Things Play OutThis isn't a movie that you're watching on your TV.You are not a passive observer of your own life. There are times to sit back, and there are times to push.Learn to identify the difference and never be afraid to provide a little push.Don't Ask Too Many QuestionsChildren are born with an insatiable curiosity, but somewhere along the line, we are told to stop asking questions.The most successful people in the world never listened—they broke this rule.Ask questions. Be curious. Be interested.If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix ItComplacency will always lead you down a bad path.Just because something isn't broken, doesn't mean it can't be improved.Continuous improvement is the way. Focus on small, incremental improvements—day in, day out.Get a Stable JobThis might have been a good rule in the Industrial Age, but its foundation is crumbling in the Digital Age.The way we work is fundamentally changing—opportunities for creative, unstructured career paths are endless.Find your Zone of Genius and operate in it.Stay in Your LaneA rule of the fixed, stagnant, and hierarchical—often used to keep employees in line.It's great to double down on your strengths, but never let external pressures prevent you from expanding your domains.Growth mindsets rule the world.Think Through Every Big DecisionWe are told to methodically consider the pros and cons of every big decision in our lives.As a result, many of us have decision paralysis.With big decisions, you're actually better off making them fast—let your gut and instincts guide you.Don't Talk to StrangersA...