In life there are tons of rules, but I think they generally fall into three buckets - social, legal and moral. Most people think they follow all the rules, while others show bravado in saying they're rule breakers. I think the reality is somewhere in the middle. We all need rules to keep us from winning the Darwin Award by regressing to the animal kingdom, but we also need an entrepreneurial spirit, especially for Americans, to break the stupid rules.

We break rules all the time, we just don't realize it. I think most people break the speed limit daily. The US has the 10th highest divorce rate in the world at 53%, though that shocking number pales to Belgium at 71%. The US is No. 2 with the highest incarceration rate, second to Seychelles (a tiny island in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Africa.) There is a lawsuit filed in the US every two seconds. However, I think that stat has more to do with a broken legal system than people breaking any real rules.

I think some of these rules can apply to your appraisal career, as well as your personal life. Here are my top picks: 

Rule No. 5 "You don't waste good." In my left-handed brain this rule means not giving up on friends that have disappointed you, not letting your appraisal career slide backwards and provide your appraisers and support staff with every tool to make them successful. To quote Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's rule, "Don't sit on the sidelines while your people are in trouble."

Rule No. 8 "Never take anything for granted." This is an obvious rule that becomes less obvious as we multi-task our life away. However, we often ignore things we should do like exercise, eat well and call our mother.

Rule No. 9 "Never go anywhere without a knife." This rule is self-explanatory though less helpful in my state of Florida where we have passed the millionth concealed weapons permit. Reliable gun statistics are hard to come by, so don't quote me on my quote, but twice as many Republicans own guns than Democrats. Similar for the genders where twice as many men than woman like to channel their inner Al Pacino "say hello to my little friend."

Rule No. 11 "When the job is done, walk away." This is a great reminder not to beat ourselves up for past decisions that were less than stellar, avoid ruminating about alternative ways things might have played out (would've, should've, could've). Move on.

Rule No. 13 "Never, ever involve lawyers." No offense to my counselor buddies, but "If it weren't for attorneys, we wouldn't need them."

Rule No. 15 "Always work as a team." This has obvious benefits in a commercial appraisal firm, though often this isn't the case. Most commercial appraisal firm owners historically have a hands-off approach to their employees which has led to a competitive disadvantage.

Rule No. 45 "Clean up the mess you make." This is a practical rule not only for tidiness, but also fixing a bad situation that you caused. This also applies to situations that you should've done something and didn't.

Rule No. 51 "Sometimes you're wrong." This can be the hardest rule for anybody to hear. Nobody likes being wrong; however, once you've realized your "boo boo," get over yourself and make it right. This rule coincides with Special Agent Abigail Borin's No. 1 rule, "Never make excuses."  

One of my favorite unnumbered Gibbs rules is "wait for it." This was quoted in an episode where Probationary Special Agent Eleanor Bishop was in a batting cage anticipating the baseballs too early resulting in missing each swing. After hearing the advice, Bishop started hitting every ball. What a great analogy to not anticipating problems, not ruminating about something that's bugging you and stop playing out worst-case scenarios over and over in your head. Wait for a situation to actually occur, then deal with it at that time. That's one rule I think you should follow your entire life.