Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.
Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker
You’re not always right. And those who oppose you are not always wrong.
The world isn’t black & white. Sometimes both parties can be “right” (even if they share different views). And sometimes both parties can be wrong.
It’s frequently far more valuable to consider where you want things to go — and the problems you want to solve — than it is trying to prove who’s right and who’s wrong.
If you’re not posting what you truly want to post on social media, but are instead posting things based on what you think will garner the most likes or engagement, you may think you’re manipulating the system, but the fact is, you’re the one being manipulated.
When you skip the opportunity to post what actually speaks to you, but instead post based on what you think will be popular, you’re playing into the hands of social media companies who have trained you to do their bidding.
I’m an optimist. I like to see the best in people. I believe human beings are inherently good. I believe people are capable of achieving far more than they believe. I encourage tolerance, kindness, and open minds.
That said, knowing this one simple fact may prove beneficial in getting through life:
Idiots are everywhere.
(And sometimes we are those idiots.)
That probably won’t change.
But what can change is who we are and how we act when we cross paths with idiots. Because, sadly, we often let other idiots turn us into idiots without thinking.
The more we resist the urge to let others control our emotions and our actions in a negative way, the less likely we are to let idiots turn us into idiots (and the happier and more in control of our lives we will be).
Our attitude and how we handle ourselves is always our responsibility.
We may not always know what to do when we cross paths with idiots, but we can always choose the type of person we want to be.
And if you choose not to let an idiot turn you into an idiot, that’s one less idiot there will be in the world.
Originally published on: Feb 12, 2014
“Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.” — Mark Twain
“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” — George Bernard Shaw
“Stop attaching so much weight to being right. In the grand scheme of things, being right is insignificant compared to being happy.” — Deepak Chopra
“Be selective in your battles sometimes peace is better than being right.” — Ritu Ghatourey
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It is entirely possible to help people without criticizing them or what they do. It is entirely possible to have a disagreement without being disrespectful. It is entirely possible to teach and guide people without abusing them.
There is no shortage of critics, haters, or people who complain about things that they don’t like. There is, however, a severe shortage of people actively encouraging what they do.
Encouraging what you’d like to see more of is a far more elegant and positive solution than constantly complaining about or criticizing things that you don’t.
If your method of “helping” people often involves making them feel bad, you may want to reconsider what it means to be helpful.
In a world of critics, be an encourager.
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