Are you quite sure there is no strand of rebellion?

Rebels aren’t necessarily energized by flouting the rules.

What really motivates us is our desire to determine our own course of action. To view our choices as expressions of our identity. Whereas rebelling for rebellion’s sake can be overreactive, immature and potentially reckless.

It’s the moral equivalent to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

And there’s a ton of nuance here. Rebellion is all about mindset, intention, posture and a host of other psychological factors. Not just raising a picket sign or a pitchfork.

What’s more, being a rebel comes with a cost. When we don’t conform with the group, we’re labeled as deviants, possibly less liked and even punished by the tribe. Unwillingness to conform carries the risk of social rejection.

The worst part is, constantly defending our valid choices is frustrating and exhausting. The price to pay for being a rebel, huh?

And so, we owe it to ourselves and those we love to really think about the place we’re rebelling from. Here’s a useful exercise that rebels can try.

Take one part of your life about which you’re deeply rebellious. Think about the last time you made a decision based on that mindset. Now ask some of these questions to dig into the psychology behind your actions.

*Were you pushing back against people’s pressures from an empowered place, or were you needing to be accurate in your opinion?

*Were you trying to be yourself, or just trying to be the opposite of everyone else?

*Were you joyfully claiming your own life choices, or were you closing your heart and acting in a reactive manner?

*Were you expressing your authentic individuality, or were you trivializing something meaningful just to appear edgy or cool?

*Were you following a genuine need for change, or were you another rebel without a cause?

Clearly, being a rebel is no joke. Making choices that are not sanctioned by society can establish us as the other. People might treat us like a child who doesn’t know our own mind. And that can be a lonely place to be.

Take it from someone who has isolated himself through his fierce individuality far too many times. If you’re going to go your own way, pray you’re doing it for healthy reasons.

Ultimately, we should all be careful about the degree to which we build our identity around how unlike everyone else we are.

Because if it comes from a place of empowered choice and genuine values, then it’s worth it.

But if it’s only done to preserve ego, then the result might backfire.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you accepted the cost of choosing to pursue fulfillment in ways outside of the norm?