There are times when I am so full of good advice, I can\u2019t stop. Really. I will hold the floor and tell my friend or whatever stranger I am talking to examples and really convincing reason that my proposed course of action is the best.<\/p>\n
I would like to say that I used to do this, but that would be kidding myself.<\/p>\n
A couple years ago I found myself full of ideas about how other people far and near could improve their situation and run their lives. The thing was I was not doing such a great job of running my own life.<\/p>\n
I was tired and unhappy and everywhere I turned there were problems I had to fix.<\/p>\n
There is an old saying, whenever you point your finger at someone you have four pointing back at yourself.<\/p>\n
I started to see a pattern. All the advice I thought I had for other people\u2014and maybe it was good advice for them!\u2014was actually something I should be listening to myself.<\/p>\n
I tried it. As soon as I began to think, \u201cShe really can\u2019t seem to get past that particular issue\u201d I would turn it on myself.<\/p>\n
Can I get past that very particular issue?<\/p>\n
It shut me up, I can tell you that. It seemed like everything I saw in other people was something I was hurting from too.<\/p>\n
Jesus said it too. \u201cHow can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
How embarrassing. I wonder if all the people I had been dispensing my gold standard advice to have seen how very flawed I was while saying it.<\/p>\n
Before I crawl under the nearest rock to hide my shame, I realize something. The stuff that I\u2019m hiding from myself stick out like a sore thumb in others.<\/p>\n
I can USE this tendency.<\/p>\n
It can point me like a compass to the stuff I need to focus on.<\/p>\n
It is inconceivable how painful it would be to have a whole plank coming out of my eye. And yet I know that I can reset that sort of pain to \u201cit\u2019s normal\u201d and carry on.<\/p>\n
But other people\u2019s eye issues will drive me crazy.<\/p>\n
OH.<\/p>\n
Like I said, my advice is really, really good. I should listen to it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are times when I am so full of good advice, I can\u2019t stop. Really. I will hold the floor and tell my friend or whatever stranger I am talking to examples and really convincing reason that my proposed course … Continue reading