People With Common Sense Refuse To Play By 10 Rules That Frankly Don’t Make Much Sense Anyway
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock Common sense doesn't always feel that common. Even the smartest people sometimes lack it. In fact, intelligence often does not correlate with having common sense at all.
Common sense can be seen in the behaviors and actions someone takes. People with common sense are usually aware of how to act in varied situations. They use this awareness to help guide them to success. While intelligent people might revere supposedly sage pieces of advice, those with common sense can be more skeptical of such restrictions.
The rules for getting through life aren't always applicable to every person or situation. People with common sense use their understanding of the world to know when to follow the sometimes unspoken rules to success and when to ignore them.
People with common sense refuse to play by 10 rules that frankly don’t make much sense anyway
1. Never follow the crowd
I was the youngest of three and always looked up to my sisters. As a little girl, I would follow them into anything, even if it wasn't the best idea. Whenever this turned out poorly, my mom would ask me, "If your sisters jumped off a bridge, would you?"
This advice is often intended to tell people that they should think for themselves rather than follow the crowd. However, this idea can actually negate individuality. If you are just avoiding doing anything other people do, you aren't always making individual decisions that are best for you.
Just because everyone is doing something doesn't mean it's right or effective, but thinking critically means sometimes you will, indeed, do what other people were already doing because it was actually a good idea from the get-go.
2. Keep your ideas to yourself
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People in high-level positions at your company probably understand how to run the company at least somewhat efficiently. If they didn't, the company wouldn't be in business. However, just because they might be running the company smoothly, it doesn't mean everything they do is done in the best way possible.
Offering new ideas in meetings can help the company's production in ways a supervisor didn't think of before. Innovative ideas are often cited as ways to gain success.
If you speak up and offer new ideas, it might reveal your critical thinking skills to your boss or manager. It might show that you thought deeply enough about the situation to create a helpful, new solution. It also reflects your creativity. New ideas show that you were able to craft a new idea that is different than what others have thought of before.
3. Stick to your job description
In the professional world, companies often have different areas of work that contribute to the organization's broader purpose but remain completely distinct and never interact with one another. Sometimes, people can be hired for a particular job and rarely interact with the responsibilities of other departments.
Even if you are satisfied with your job's responsibilities, sticking strictly to your job description can prevent you from seeing professional growth. Understanding other positions can help you understand how your company operates and where your position fits into the overall production process.
Additionally, taking on tasks your job doesn't require can sometimes lead to a better relationship with your boss. They might be able to see that you will go the extra mile for the company.
4. Don’t question authority
As stated before, people with common sense often know when to ignore general rules for success. They also might know when to ignore the rules of authority.
When a person of authority implements a rule, it's not always a bad thing to tell them you disagree. If you are upset by the rule but ignore it, that might result in your continued frustration with it. A continued frustration might lead to general unhappiness in the space where the rule is implemented. Sometimes, questioning authority can help you feel satisfied in that space when the rule evokes unpleasant emotions.
Studies have also shown that unhappiness can hurt productivity. Questioning authority can be a productive way to work in your job.
5. Always be polite
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I grew up as a little girl in the South, so this advice was drilled into my head from the moment I could help my grandmother make pecan pies.
It's important to be polite to others to show respect, but it can also harm relationships you are trying to make by acting this way. Excessive politeness sometimes makes others wary of your intentions. They might question if you are trying to gain something from them.
Politeness can also be internally harmful to some people. Having this message ingrained in my brain often leads me to ignore when someone is being disrespectful to me. I felt like I couldn't voice my opinions without doing something wrong. A rule I have decided to live by instead is to always be polite until someone is impolite.
6. Keep your personal and professional lives separate
Friends don't always make the best co-workers. It sometimes creates tension within the relationship. However, that doesn't mean befriending your co-workers is a bad idea. Creating genuine relationships in your workplace can lead to a more fulfilling work environment. Research has shown that becoming friends with your coworkers can improve productivity and morale.
Befriending a co-worker can foster trust and connection within the professional relationship. If a co-worker trusts you, they might want to collaborate with you on projects. Collaboration helps provide you with perspectives you didn't know before. This might inform you on how to better handle problems for a different project or task.
Positive collaboration sometimes fosters a strong team relationship. This might allow the team to avoid fighting about conflicts that arise.
7. Stick to your guns no matter what
Sometimes, people will advise you to hold firm in your opinions and decisions. "Stick to your guns" was the way my mom phrased this advice.
Staying firm in your opinions might mean you trust yourself. You may believe you have an awareness of how to best handle a situation. However, this can also make you ignore new ideas that could help you.
A strong belief in this idea can sometimes harm your ability to be open-minded. It's important to take in new information to help guide our decisions. Even if something worked for you in the past, that doesn't mean it will always work.
8. Never let love pass you by
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When people say this, they usually mean you should treasure someone who loves you and is good to you. People who give this advice often believe it is a smarter decision to accept any love than to let go of someone with potential. When people are given this advice, they may fear they will regret leaving a partner.
Genuine love is hard to define. Even if you feel love for a person you think is a kind and respectable human being, this doesn't mean it is good love. A partner should have those qualities, but they should also make you fulfilled in the romantic area of life.
If you are feeling unsatisfied in a relationship, it's not always a bad thing to let that partner go. Acknowledge when something isn’t working for you. Letting a relationship pass you by can help you make space for someone better suited to you.
9. Conform to social norms
Social norms can help a community come together around common beliefs and expectations. It can help develop a distinct culture within that community.
While social norms can bring people together, they can also make some people feel isolated. If they don't fit into the ideas a community stands by, they might feel unable to be a part of the group. It might also make them feel weird about not being able to connect with generally accepted principles.
People with common sense understand that social norms shouldn't define who we are. Not following the expectations of your society doesn't mean you are incompetent. It just means you have different expectations for yourself.
10. Balance all areas of your life equally
When my life feels strenuous, I've often heard people advise me to make a change in my priorities because I need more balance.
Balancing priorities can be a good way to make your life feel more well-rounded. It allows you to give attention to all areas of your life. This allows you to feel satisfied in multiple areas of life rather than focusing your attention on one thing, like work or love.
Balancing priorities and areas of life can be fulfilling, but it can also sometimes lead to stress. Whenever I try to balance my work life and personal life, it always feels like one category is falling short. Maybe I put more attention to romantic relationships and then stop doing my personal hobbies as frequently. Maybe I put more attention on work, and then my friendships feel neglected.
Sometimes, not all areas of your life will be equally balanced. If you beat yourself up over one area, taking the lead in your mental prioritization won't make life feel any less strenuous. People with common sense ignore this advice because they know certain areas of life will be more prevalent at certain times, and that's okay.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
