Rules at the petrol station.

If you were asked to think about your relationship to rules, you would possibly think of school or childhood. You probably would not think about petrol stations and loyalty points.

Yet, I find myself unwilling to fill up with fuel in a petrol station that has no option to collect loyalty points. Is it impractical sometimes? Yes. Does it hugely impact my life? No. It’s just a rule I have made and have an unwavering loyalty too. “Every petrol purchase must earn me points. It’s a waste to spend money at a station that I will not gain points at”.

If I add to this that I prefer to pay at pump rather than going inside, then the options become smaller, and I am sometimes getting fuel from one main brand only.

I am not hugely strict on budgeting and saving money yet this rule has stuck. Whilst at a local, more convenient petrol station recently I was shopping inside when I had a moment of realisation (a lightbulb moment) where I realised that no-one would stop me if I bought petrol there. There would be no repercussions. And with that comes some freedom and some choice. I can choose to spend my money where I would like to, whether based on ease and convenience or not and whilst collecting points or not.

There is nothing to say there is anything wrong with familiarity, comfort and routine. It can be a wonderful feeling. It can just be useful to start to take notice of which rules in life are more of a hindrance than a help.

I read a post once that spoke about ‘running the dishwasher twice’. The concept was that the person was not feeling up to rinsing the dishes of food before the dishwasher and their therapist suggested ‘running the dishwasher twice’. Once to remove the residue and once to clean the dishes fully. And it made me realise that I am not alone and it can be quite common for rules to impact our adult life. The dishes example might look like a waste of energy, and I might not have as many loyalty points by the end of the year, but as an adult, I do have free will in making my life easier in any way I choose. And this can be empowering. Not excluding a thought here about how fortunate I am to ‘run the dishwasher twice’ or ‘to buy petrol anywhere I choose’ as for some, affordability comes into play. Just highlighting the idea that on difficult days, choice and convenience can aid calmness.

What rules are you currently following and is there some space to make life easier by softening the rule with more choices?