Let's talk about rules

Rules are meant to be broken.

Without rules, society would crumble.

Rules, rules, rules. Thinking about rules this morning as I drove my kids to school.

My son didn't want to be late to school. I promised him a fishing rod. This morning, as he was dragging his feet, getting ready for school. I put a zip in his step by removing my promise if he was late to school.

So as we jumped in the car, he told me, "Step on it". The next five minutes we talked about laws, and the consequences to breaking laws. Declaring there were no policemen around, I asked if it was ok to break rules when no one was looking. Another teachable moment I thought to myself...

Getting home, laws kept bubbling to the surface of my boiling brain. There is one law that cannot be misunderstood - Pareto's Law. Most of us will know it as the 80/20 rule.

80% of profits come from 20% of our customers.
80% of our joy comes from 20% of our day.
80% of our memories come from 20% of our activities.
80% of our wisdom comes from 20% of our experiences.
80% of our health comes from 20% of the choices we make.

If Pareto's Law is true, then it's the small things that make the biggest impact on our lives, our loves, our children, our jobs and our memories.

Using a business example for a second, imagine what the marketing budget looks like when a restaurant focuses so intently on its existing client base that the only clients they lose are those who die, move or have a life altering event.

It's easier said than done, but imagine finding out what exactly makes your spouse feel appreciated. Then doing more of those activities no matter how small and insignificant they seem to you.

80% of appreciation will be felt by 20% of your effort.

Is it hard to say "Thank you"? How about washing the dishes after a hearty dinner? Maybe making the bed every morning is a simple message of appreciation?

It doesn't matter what it is, the rule is simple and true. The majority of rewards will come from a much smaller portion of your activities.

To succeed with money, joy, memories, wisdom, love and health, my recommendation is to identify those influential activities so you can do more of them to reap even greater rewards in your life.

Now I know why it seems like my kids don't listen to me.

80% of the things I tell them gets absorbed 20% of the time.