Being vulnerable and exposed is not for the faint of heart. It takes great courage to admit misery, even if it's easy (and convenient) to commiserate.
But, here's the rub. If you're going through a shitty time and you know by exposing yourself you could potentially help someone else, why do you hesitate? Is it for fear that you may be the only one? Absurd. Is it because you're in denial? Well, that's short sighted. Or is it because you, yourself, can't come to terms with your misery and by sharing it you think your problems will only be exacerbated further? Hmm, that would seem reasonable.
Either way, though, it is undeniable that by sharing your grievances you help others learn from your suffering, which in turn will inevitably help you. It may not happen right away (which makes it exponentially more difficult to "sell"), but it will happen. Why? Well, because it's the law of universal karma.
You see, people always talk about karma because it sounds like something good to say. But how many people actually practice what they preach? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Walk the walk and talk the talk? And on and on the idioms go.
Rare, right?
If people actually believed that the negative stuff they did and said would truly come back to them, we'd live in a different world entirely. On the flip side, if people truly believed the good they put out into the world would eventually gravitate back to them, well then more people would be inclined to act in good faith. We're a self-involved, self-interested, indulgent species after all.
So where's the disconnect?
I don't know. I'm still figuring it out. But, my sense is that fear and human nature play lead roles in this musical we call life.
I'll also take a leap off the moral high ground I've stationed here and admit that I do not like sharing or talking about my problems. I'll be the first to talk about my successes and share them with the world. But, when I'm miserable, I shut down and clamp up like nobody's business.
But, it ends here. In this moment. Right now.
Life has been hard and downright shitty sometimes in the last two years.
Nobody told me life would be this tough post-graduation. I always imagined it would be rainbows and butterflies, you see I'm blessed and cursed with this eternal optimism thing.
When I was going through school, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of my role models, I never took into account their struggle, their suffering. Mostly because they rarely put it out for display. Now, maybe that's the secret. Maybe that's why they were successful. Or maybe the secret is to lean on a close, trusted circle of friends in times of need, such that your weaknesses are never known to the masses. Lest a competitor or evil twin chomps you up in light of them. Or maybe they did share and I only saw what I wanted to see. Understandably, sharing is easier said than done. But once you cross that line, I trust it gets easier.
Whatever the case, I wish I had known some of the secrets of my role models. So, I'm going to do a better job of sharing the next time I'm down in the dumps. And I hope you all do too. You never know when you might be able to help someone out and when that good karma might come full circle and help you (sooner or later) too.
Rare, right?
If people actually believed that the negative stuff they did and said would truly come back to them, we'd live in a different world entirely. On the flip side, if people truly believed the good they put out into the world would eventually gravitate back to them, well then more people would be inclined to act in good faith. We're a self-involved, self-interested, indulgent species after all.
So where's the disconnect?
I don't know. I'm still figuring it out. But, my sense is that fear and human nature play lead roles in this musical we call life.
I'll also take a leap off the moral high ground I've stationed here and admit that I do not like sharing or talking about my problems. I'll be the first to talk about my successes and share them with the world. But, when I'm miserable, I shut down and clamp up like nobody's business.
But, it ends here. In this moment. Right now.
Life has been hard and downright shitty sometimes in the last two years.
Nobody told me life would be this tough post-graduation. I always imagined it would be rainbows and butterflies, you see I'm blessed and cursed with this eternal optimism thing.
When I was going through school, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of my role models, I never took into account their struggle, their suffering. Mostly because they rarely put it out for display. Now, maybe that's the secret. Maybe that's why they were successful. Or maybe the secret is to lean on a close, trusted circle of friends in times of need, such that your weaknesses are never known to the masses. Lest a competitor or evil twin chomps you up in light of them. Or maybe they did share and I only saw what I wanted to see. Understandably, sharing is easier said than done. But once you cross that line, I trust it gets easier.
Whatever the case, I wish I had known some of the secrets of my role models. So, I'm going to do a better job of sharing the next time I'm down in the dumps. And I hope you all do too. You never know when you might be able to help someone out and when that good karma might come full circle and help you (sooner or later) too.
