When it comes to finding a reason not to give up, I like to turn to the words of old dead people.

One of my favorite old dead people is Ernest Holmes. Ernest said a lot of great things but the best thing he ever said, in my humble opinion, was this:

Principle is not bound by precedent.

What the heck does that mean?

Let’s break it down, shall we?

Principle is the cause of everything.

It’s what makes the stars shine and the planets spin. It’s what pumps your heart and keeps you breathing. Some people call it God, others call it Nature.

Call it whatever you want, Principle doesn’t care.

All that matters is that Principle is the cause of everything.

Next up: “is not bound by.”

Pretty self-explanatory.

Nothing is holding it back. Principle is not going to start doing something and suddenly be told by something else – the forces of resistance or your mind (which are sometimes the same thing) – that it can’t do that thing.

Principle is like a glorious drag queen dressed to the nines, singing “I Will Survive” at the top of her lungs. You can’t stop her.

Next: “is not bound by precedent.”

Here’s where it gets both really interesting and really cool.

Yes, bound by precedent sounds like something out of law book, or a Perry Mason rerun, or a dusty archaic text unearthed by archeologists and published in an equally archaic scholarly journal.

But it’s actually really accessible.

Precedent is how it’s always been.

Precedent is how much money you have in the bank. Or how much you exercise. Or how much you weigh. Or how you get along with your family of origin.

Precedent is that sense of inertia that comes when something has been a particular way for a particularly long time.

But wait: Principle (our drag queen friend) is not bound by that.

She doesn’t care what you’ve weighed up until now. Or how much money you have in the bank. Or how totally not well well you get along with your family.

None of that matters to Principle.

It matters to you. Or you think it does.

You think nothing can change because it’s always been that way. You think that just because that’s how it’s always been, there’s some kind of Universal rule that says it needs to always be that way.

But Principle is not bound by precedent.

The past literally means nothing to Principle.

Today is a new day. And Principle is right there with you, waiting to expand you into something more glorious than you’ve been before. Principle actually loves doing that kind of thing, because Life is all about growth and change and expansion.

All you have to do is let it.

And here’s another super awesome thing:

You are Principle.

Principle is everything, including you.

So you are not bound by precedent.

You – your glorious, powerful self – cannot be stopped by anything, including what’s gone before, because you are made of the energy that births stars.

Just sayin’.

Like always, I recommend spiritual practice as a way to tap into the powerful awesomeness that you are. Yoga, affirmations, meditation, music, time in nature – whatever floats your boat.

So the next time you feel like giving up, just remember:

It’s never too late to begin anew!

The drag queen and the old dead guy say so.

What is your experience with not being bound by precedent? Share your comments below!

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