March, 24, 2022
I’ve always been highly attuned to the things around me, but that made me think that I knew things.
I would observe, make judgments, and then proceed with certainty.
That was childish.
What was even more childish was that I tried to tell others what to do and how to do it.
Turning Point
People used to tell me what to do and think, and I hated it. When I began to realize that I was doing the same, I was floored.
Telling people what was right, what to think, or what to do, killed the possibility of allowing them to grow by making choices and dealing with the consequences. That’s human.
When I was at a Jordan Peterson talk, he explained his parenting style, and a lightbulb went off in my mind. He said that even as a psychologist, he never tried to tell his kids what was right.
In fact, he thought it was absurd to pretend to know what was right.
That was when it hit me – I can’t know. I cannot know what is good for someone else. I’m still trying to figure out what is good for myself.
When I think about my journey so far, I am glad I was able to choose everything for myself. I know how far I’ve come, and how much I’ve grown by committing to those choices. I know how much I learned from the major crash-and-burns. I know how much pride I’ve felt in the wins.
I have to give others the space to experience the same thing.
I don’t know why it took so long to decide that, but I am glad I finally have.