Did you know that you can improve any area of your life by changing one little word in your vocabulary? This is a word that almost all of us use many times throughout the day, and it’s related to the rules we create for ourselves.

We all have our own self-made rules. Here’s a few common examples:

• I should exercise every day.
• I should put more effort in at work.
• I should spend more time with my family.
• I should not eat junk food.

But how consistently do you follow them? If you’re like most folks, you probably don’t follow your own rules very often.

Would your results in life improve if you consistently followed your own rules? Absolutely!

Rules, Actions, & Results

Your rules determine your actions. And your actions have a big part in determining your results.

• If you consistently exercised every day, do you think your health would improve?
• If you consistently gave your best effort at work, or in your business, do you think you would get more opportunities for raises and promotions?
• If you consistently avoided junk food, and ate healthy food instead, do you think your health and weight would improve?
• If you consistently gave your family attention and love every day, do you think your relationships with your family members would improve?

I think we can safely agree that the answer to all of these questions is “yes”.

But if you already have rules relating to these things, how come you can’t, or don’t, follow them consistently?

How To Consistently Follow Your Own Rules To Get Better Results

If you want to consistently follow your own rules and enjoy better results in your life, you need to change one word.

If you look at all the example rules I gave you earlier, they all contained the word “should”. “Should” is not a very powerful word. If we ignore a rule that uses the word should, it doesn’t cause us much mental discomfort. And if there isn’t much discomfort associated with breaking a rule, then we aren’t very compelled to follow it religiously.

So, how can you make your rules more compelling? Change that “should” word to “must”!

Compare the following rules:

Rules that use the word “must” feel a lot more powerful and compelling.

Try It For Yourself

What are the rules you have for yourself? If they contain the word “should” change it to “must” and commit yourself to following your “must” rules.

A quick word of advice before you do though…

Don’t create to many new “must” rules at once. You could find it overwhelming and end up giving up or failing, which might end up being a blow to your self-esteem.

Since success breeds more success, start with something easy that you’re confident you can succeed at. Stick with that one new rule until you’re confident that you’ve mastered it.

Every time you master a new rule, your self-confidence will grow. As your confidence grows, you’ll be able to take on more “must” rules. And the more “must” rules you have in your life, the greater your results will be.

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