What I Know

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”


Day 7-I Know This


I can most definitely identify with this topic. It seems like these days there are so many resources out there that claim to have all the "answers"; talk-show hosts, therapists, pastors, self-help books...you name it. Add friends and family into the mix, and it becomes even more overwhelming. 


But what I've begun to see is that not everything works for everyone. Just because someone gives you advice doesn't mean you have to necessarily take it, and/or that it's the right path to take. Don't get me wrong, I love and appreciate people who take the time to try and help me work through a situation. But I have been learning to respectfully disagree with someone when I feel the need to. Instead, I think about the things that I have learned- the things that I have come to know from my own experiences. 


1. Not everyone will see things the way you do; it doesn't matter how many times you try to sit a person or a group of people down and explain it, they're just not going to get it. 


2. You cannot fully protect yourself from pain or suffering. 


3. No matter how rough the road may be, you'll get through it. It may take awhile, but you will. 


4. It's OK to admit that certain days, months, etc. just suck. It doesn't mean that life in general sucks, but everybody has their bad moments.


5. In order to love or take care of someone else, you have to be able to do the same for yourself. 


6. Regardless of what magazines or books say, when it comes to any kind of relationship, it's all about communicating openly and the ability to be yourself. 


7. There are some things in life, that you can't necessarily "try" to be good at. For example; flirting and being sexy. Those things just have to come naturally.


8. Beauty is not about what you look like, but rather how you feel. If you feel good, then chances are  that the people around you will notice.


9. Don't ever make judgments against a person for their bad choices when at one time you either thought about or went about doing the exact same thing. 


10. On second thought, don't ever judge someone based on what another person tells you. Meet them first and then form an opinion. 


11. You can do things for the right reasons, but still end up going about it in the wrong way.


12. Cutting someone out of your life does not necessarily mean you're cutting them out of your heart. No amount of picture deleting or lack of contact with erase the memories or the times that you had together.


13. The only time you should ever regret a relationship isn't when you didn't learn from it or grow from it.


14. It's important to know when to just listen and when to give advice. 






Maybe I'm wrong by some of those things. But nevertheless, that is what I know.