This is such a stellar quote, you will have no doubt seen it around.

One of the things that’s been interesting about this blog undertaking is the amount of suggestions/ recommendations/ directions/ unsolicited advice I’ve received since starting it. Things like:

Talk about these things.

Don’t talk about these things.

Use these words.

Don’t use these words.

Feature this product!

Don’t promote that product.

Aim your posts towards this audience.

Be careful when using that tone.

And on.

And that of course is just a microcosm of what occurs in the larger world to us all, everyday of our lives.

Part of being human, part of participating in the social world, is engaging in the process of receiving and proposing person-hood alterations. We suggest all ranges of change constantly: change your job, change your friends, you should really try doing this instead of that, change your appearance, go to school here not there, change your hobbies, change your speech, did you realize you said ‘kind of’ every third sentence of that talk? You should stop, it makes you sound stupid.

Like all of life, it becomes a matter of balance: knowing what to block out as noise, and knowing which critiques are worth your taking to heart.

When the moment of scrutiny has passed, when the passion of defensiveness has died down, when the words release their seemingly divine power and settle back among the sentiments of mortals, there will be a leaning. There will be a small but clear voice inside you that knows.

It knows which components of yourself you are unwilling to alter, which facets or beliefs are tantamount to your person, the altering of which would threaten to disassemble the very spectacularly singular constitution that exists within you.

That leaning will know, too, if the words directed your way are ones of truth. It will recognize clearly the need for change, for compromise. Regardless of how difficult they may be to hear, the acuteness of the words will register.

Be keen to discern between the two.

Critiques may be merely other’s projections of their visions for life onto you. You are not obliged to subscribe. Remember that. Hold steadfast to your own vision. Do not let yourself become absorbed or mislead into living a life that suits anyone that is other than you.

Still, remain open to entertaining suggestions for change. Always believe that such statements originate from a place of goodness. Always regard yourself as a work in progress, an entity that is composed dually of your own instincts and outward reactions to such.

Try on the change. Imagine yourself adopting it. Move around in it and see if it fits. There will be no mistaking it.