Don't be a self-styled pedant

• Don’t be a self-styled pedant

  Childhood, youth or old age; school or college; home or outside – all are learning experiences.

  A singular issue that perpetually agitates our mind in our journey from the cradle to the grave is

  whether we should be sticklers for rules or not, particularly self-imposed one.

  Some amongst of us would be real disciplinarians and would never be willing to digress from

  any laid down tenet. Some of us would be habitual violators of rules and derive pleasure in doing

  things in a manner they should not. There will be a third category who would act as per

  convenience and after taking stock of the situation. However, most of us are followers of rules

  and regulations. Some of the rules that we follow are self-imposed ones and which we follow

  without any rationale. They surely have an effect on your career and success alike.

  Rules are generally of three types. You have Official Rules that are always on record and are

  not expected to be violated. Official Rules may differ from organization to organization and

  country to country. Violation of Official Rules implies action being initiated against you. You

  also have Community Rules, which can be described as social laws. Community Rules

  incorporate complex issues like your moral standards and values. You may harbour intense

  feelings and strong opinions on particular issues, but they can be subject to change in different

  situations. Such tenets, as they may be called are based on conventions and dependent on both

  circumstances and perceptions. Most of have a tendency to break Community Rules, but

  subsequent feel remorseful to ultimately forget that you ever did anything wrong. However,

  those were impacted by your actions will remember you and your lapse. The third category of

  rules is Self-imposed Rules. You will always see people talking about them at their workplaces.

  You will always find men and women who assert that they have certain beliefs and principles

  which they will never compromise on. Most of such principles are individual in nature and are

  guided by their own supposed interpretation of honesty and truthfulness. Following Self-imposed

  Rules necessitate self-restrictions and self-restraint. Regrettably, Self-imposed Rules may appear

  highly moral, but there may not be any justification for following them because you cannot

  envision their outcome in concrete terms.

  Self-imposed rules can be detrimental and at times, upsetting. You do not need to sacrifice

  your principles to advance in your career. It is not imply that you will not care for your personal

  necessities and obligations just because organizational imperatives are supreme. You may

  perhaps feel that if you deviate from such tenets, you may be regarded as self-centered and self-

  centred. It is also likely that you may be apprehensive of being letdown. It is always better to be

  clear-cut in all your work and actions. Whether it is ticking a subordinate or telling a boss that he

  is wrong or talking ill of others behind their back, all require moral courage. Any restraint on

  your part will damage you more than if you indulge in such engagements.

  The truth of the matter is that all self-imposed rules are not based on any principles,

  morality or morals. They are all about endeavours that try to seek authority over anything that

  may be confused, chaotic and terrifying around you. Self-imposed rules are sort of unreasonable

  and prejudiced limitations; and if you subscribe to them, you are likely to mislead yourself to an

  extent that your self-confidence will take a beating. You cannot envision that in the process you

  generate obstacles for yourself in your path to success. And when success gets delayed, your

  skills and abilities plummet. That is the precise reason why Self-imposed Rules are all self-

  defeating.

  The best way to do away with Self-imposed Rules is enlightening your mind. You should

  understand and understand well that you cannot afford to give up on your power to scrutinize

  matters and make decisions. And in case you do not, you will eventually lose your balance and

  make your career path blurred.

  Therefore, can you afford to be a self-styled pedant? If you are looking to be successful in

  your career, remember that Official Rules are not violable at all. Community Rules call for
• serious thinking before you initiate any action. However, as far as Self–Imposed Rules are

  concerned, you must appreciate that nobody asked you to frame them and therefore, adherence to

  them ought to be out of question. So why have them?