Some problems are forced upon you, some you create for yourself. Sometimes the safe options are just too boring.
If you’ve not seen Firefly, then I highly recommend it. It’s a bit of a western in space, following a crew of renegade, smuggler, heart of gold type misfits as they get into scrapes and get up to hijinks. The series was cut short so there are only about 14 one-hour episodes and a follow-up film (Serenity) – so it’s not a huge time investment, but it’s well worth your while.
If you’ve seen Firefly and fancy something similar, you could do worse than Cowboy Bebop – a very stylish show about a crew of spacegoing bounty hunters.
I think you’ve simplified it a little too much. For some people, living by the book just sets them back further. Gets them stepped on.