Are you a rebel? Do you fight against the rules? Do you want to do things your way? Do you discount others advice? Maybe you know someone who is a rebel?

Movies have glamorised the bad boy image, the rebel among us. For those of us who have embraced the rebel attitude, myself included, we have to acknowledge that our thoughts and behaviours have not resulted in the kind of life we wanted. The problem with being a rebel is that we too often are fighting the rules, just because. There is no real plan of what we want to achieve. We just do not want to follow the rules.

I've met so many talented, skilled, phenomenal people (many of you read this newsletter) who have rebelled against rules, protocol, processes and the natural laws of success, wealth and love. The result of all this was stress, anger, resentment, loneliness, and lack (of abundance, appreciation, and opportunities).

Enough, I say, It is time for all of us rebels to get over ourselves. We need to take charge of our careers, our businesses, our teams and our lives by letting the "rebel factor" go. In fact, after years of introspection and having a few a-ha's along the way, I've come to realise that rebel really stands for:

R - Resisting
E - Excellence
B - By Not
E - Engaging
L - Leverage

When people are rebels they RESIST following the rules. There are umpteen reasons why they (me?) don't want to follow the rules. Perhaps it is the belief that "they" are out to get me. Or the ego "I know better," or "maybe that's true for you but not me!" Perhaps it is a person's sense of not being good enough "I can not, therefore I will not." When someone is a rebel they are resisting against what they perceive as conforming, giving in or succumbing. Everyone has been a rebel at one time or another.

What are we resisting — EXCELLENCE . . .

Excellence is achieved when one takes action and does the best they possibly can. When there is resistance to following the steps, protocol or natural laws it is impossible to achieve excellence. Yes, I hear you — some rules are limiting and stifling. You can take action and change them by following the rules of change, but by resisting the rules you are setting yourself up to encounter stress, anger, resentment, loneliness and a lack. You lose power to change the rule or improve the process of implementation.

BY NOT — Rebelliousness is a negative form of action. There is a philosophy that you get what you give. If you resist what you get is resistance. In my own life I know that I have had to work harder and take a longer route towards my success, because I fought the rules. I fought the rules of money, the rules of receiving an education, the rules of successful relationships and the rules of life. My resistance, my willingness to NOT play by the rules resulted in many moments of frustration, anger, stress and resentment, as well as being lonely and being in lack.

ENGAGING — To engage is to connect, to be a part of, to be a piece of a bigger puzzle — life. In order to engage you must break away from the rebel factor by reaching out to others and being vulnerable. You do this by letting others know that you do not have to know how to do everything. You do not have to have the answers to everything to engage others.

LEVERAGE is using outside resources to assist you in following the rules and learning the rules. This includes reaching out to others for support, building an effective network where you can offer your expertise and gain the expertise of others and being willing to accept the help from others who have been there before you (mentors, guides and teachers). It includes using the specialised knowledge that can be found in libraries and support centres specifically created for you success (Small Business Administration centres, Chambers of Commerce, professional associations and universities).

Being a rebel creates a persona of a loner, someone who has chosen to stand apart, aloof and indifferent. Being a rebel insinuates that you want to cause trouble and create chaos. Is that what you really want to do?