Ruling Over My Rules

I don't think we realize how many arbitrary rules we've conjured for ourselves until we begin to feel the limitations of them. Now, I think some personal rules are very important. A person without principals and a code of ethics is as easy to bowl over as a sandcastle, but what of the extracurricular ones we form outside of that? I told myself at some point, likely because of how I was taught, that such and such "must be" written a certain way. Other times, it was almost certainly to protect myself from unwanted critique, but I inadvertently ended up making some very stringent rules for myself in regards to my writing. It is important to keep in mind that rules are meant to guide, not to limit. When the latter overtakes the former, it's time to break the rules or create new ones altogether. I was only held back for a moment, but it was enough to make me think: why do I feel like I must follow this path? Because it's the proper thing to do? That reason is never good enough. There are exceptions to every rule, and trusting in my experience is key to knowing when to make them. If I am to live by my convictions, then I must also write by convictions, regardless of whether or not it follows my entirely made up rules.