For example, we all operate within certain paradigms. A paradigm is a set of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two things:

• It establishes or defines boundaries.
• It tells you to behave inside these boundaries in order to be successful.

Let’s look at the game of tennis. Tennis is a game that is itself a paradigm. If you were to hit the ball across the net with a golf club, or use a domino in place of a tennis ball, you would be laughed at or perhaps kicked off the court, because you’d be breaking the rules of the game, or the paradigm.

For example, we often make judgments about the behavior of others who we believe are breaking the rules without knowing the full story. Does that untidy front lawn belong to someone who doesn’t care about their surroundings, or does it belong to someone crippled by arthritis who can’t afford to pay others to do the yard work?