Should you or should you not?
Maybe you should, but before you decide, be able to answer the crucial question of why.
My story
After graduating from high school, I followed the expected path and enrolled in college.
A traditional four-year university wasn’t my first choice. My first choice was a two-year degree from a small community college.
For various reasons, the path I wanted was highly discouraged. I ended up enrolling in a four-year university in a field of study chosen solely on the basis of my hobby of sewing.
Two years in, as I plodded to a class I hated, to obtain a degree in which I had no interest, I found myself wondering why I had to do this thing I hadn’t wanted in the first place.
In a lightbulb moment, I realized that, nope, when it came down to it, there was no real good reason why I should continue on.
Right there on the sidewalk, I about faced, backtracked to admissions, withdrew from college and drove home, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
If anyone had asked me why I had decided to attend college, I wouldn’t have been able to provide an answer.
Note: A few years later I returned to college as a single mom with a good understanding of why I was there.
There are a variety of reasons we feel we should do a certain thing, but often we don’t think about the motivating why.
Some expectations are good and provide a valuable internal compass.
It’s easy to pinpoint why we do those things.
We want to take care of our families, our health, and our homes.
If we want to keep the job that pays the bills, we should routinely show up and do the job for which we were hired.
Growing up, we absorb those expectations and, hopefully, they keep us pointed in the right direction.
There are those things we do because we value relationships.
We love and care about our family and friends and want to maintain a giving relationship.
There should be a little give and take in every relationship.
Finally, there are those things we do for all the wrong reasons.
Guilt, lack of boundaries, needing to please someone else, and taking the path of least resistance are things that come quickly to mind.
I’m sure there are others.
Going along to get along will eventually lead to discontentment, anger, and resentment.
Everyone wrestles with things they think they should do.
When you have a good understanding of why you are doing something, it’s so much easier to make a solid decision.
Should you or should you not?
Maybe you should, but just make sure you know why you are doing it.
You may figure out that sometimes your why is not what’s best for you.
TAKE ACTION!!!
Comments or questions? Email me at Micki@LivingbyLittles.com
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