THE HARD WAY

It is human nature that when we see someone struggling in life that we try to help them out if it is in our power to do so. Even though by involving ourselves into someone else's struggles that it is more than likely that our  emotional involvement will add stress to our own lifestyle because you can't get involved in someone else's issues without empathising with their current situation. Our intentions may be honourable, but that doesn't mean that the ones that we are trying to advise see our words for what they are, guidance to what could possibly be a better alternative. To those that we are trying to advise all they see is us telling them what to do as if we are announcing that we can do better than them and that they are failing at their attempts to tackle life's problems. This blind assumption leads them to disregard any of your advice and tarnishes any valid points that you are making. Their emotional state heightens their built-up frustrations, which directs them to disregard any of your opinions and results in them doing the opposite to whatever you have suggested. Avoiding your suggestions puts them on the same path that they have always found themselves on, better known as the hard way. It takes a high level of maturity to separate the advice given from the person who is giving it, this is because people stop listening to the words when they are tied to an authority figure. The prejudice that is placed on the who is giving the advice will only affect the one who needs another perspective. So if you want a different story to the one you keep on repeating then flip the page to a path that isn't so predictable and allow yourself to listen before you make any harsh judgements that could remove any good advice from your life.

SHIELDED FROM LIFE

We put up barriers to protect ourselves from the things that we believe could emotionally hurt us, thinking that if any words are said that dont go with our core beliefs it could potentially be damaging to our way of life. Shutting yourself down from alternative view points has the power to shield you from all that may harm you if you are one who has a fragile mindset and are easily offended, but by choosing to completely ignore all alternative opinions will only result in removing any chance of taking in any positive interactions that may have occurred if you just had taken time to listen without bias. Our choice to block out the words that go against what we deem as unhealthy criticism will only result in conditioning us to create an immunity for all alternative viewpoints. We may not always agree with someone's criticism of us but shutting all their opinions down because you disagree with them alot of the time will mean that your might miss out on the one time that their  point is valid. It takes a mature mind to be able to distinguish good advice from bad advice, so stop arguing with a person and start arguing with the points that they are making, otherwise your avoidance on the points that are being raised will only lead to your own harm.

OPPORTUNE MOMENT

Opportunist take every opportunity they see no matter how the consequences may affect others. There is no need for planning ahead when you have the mindset that is ready to take on any advantage that you may discover without the worry of your letting your own principles get in the way. Opportunists believe that they are special, and because of this, their only focus is what they can benefit from this particular situation. They wholeheartedly believe that it is their right to take advantage of the opportunities that arise before anyone else does. This is because they believe that they are smarter than everyone else, and thats why they took the opportunity before anyone else even had any claim to it. It doesn't cross their mind that people's principles are what guides them to either do or not do something about their present situation. Most people feel bad if they know that their actions may have lead to the someone else's discomfort, while the opportunist believe that because no one reacted that must mean that they got away with it and that no one is of the wiser. Most people empathise with the tough decisions that have to be made thats why the majority of the time the goodwill people choose to do the right thing even at the detriment of their own circumstances, while on the other hand the opportunist of the world have their trust deteriorating. All this song and dance does is help deteriorate any respect you may have had for them because people aren't the stupid puppets that the opportunist believe that they are, they are people who are tolerant of you now but there will be a time where your actions are intolerable and when that happens no amount of effort can turn the clock around to a time where you are respected. So stop playing the games that will eventually lead you to your own downfall and try to put yourself in the place where you can empathise with your peers.

I DOUBT THAT

Doubt is a wall that prevents real conversion from hitting its point. It stops any relevant point that you've made from being taken seriously. It doesn't matter if your point is valid or not because it takes a whole lot more than facts to persuade the listener to take notice of your claims when they are only half listening to what you are saying. Logical thought takes twice the effort to set in when what you are claiming goes against the grain of a person's standard way of thinking, especially when they have already made up their mind on the subject. To get them to hear you and understand your point of view will mean they have to first remove their doubt that they have long time cemented into their belief system for them to be able to have an unbiased point of view. Whether we like to admit it or not who the speaker is also is part of the reason that the impact of their claim is either ignored or taken seriously because whether they are seen in a positive light or a negative light it is enough to sway the mind of another. So if you want to get people to respect your opinion then you need to first get them to like you before you make any valid points or suffer the consequences of a judgement that's made before the point is made.

THAT'S MY ROLE MODEL

We strive to be like our role models, but who do our role models want to be like? Most of the time, they are just being themselves while at the same time being admired by those who follow them on social platforms. If people are admired because of their high-value system, maybe all that it takes to be respected is to have a good value system. Peoples values can vary from person to person even though, on average, most people share fundamental similarities, this doesn't mean that you won't be able to find differences between them. One persons motivations may differ from another, but ultimately, in the end, the goals are very similar, which is one of the reasons why we do the things that we do differently from each other. It is better for us to have an open mind when it comes to understanding why people behave the way that they do and not just see things from our own perspective, all this does is shut us down from learning something that we may have missed because of the lack of information we had. Having a good foundation of beliefs is what holds everything together. Without it, we will crumble like a stack of cards in the wind. So if you'd rather be the person who can stand by your statement without any show of aggression, then take control of yourself and be the someone who would like you to be their role model. 

HYPOCRISY EVERYWHERE

We are surrounded by hypocrisy the more we converse with different minds. Even when the situation arises where you feel that you are conversing with a balanced mindset, there will be times when their controlled reactions are overtaken by their emotional state of mind. As human beings we are not perfect so when we lose control of our controlled responses we react without thinking clearly and do the things that we are not proud to do, those out of control moments don't always reflect the persona that we put on show. No one is perfect that is why our rash reactions can hurt the people that we dearly care about because they are the only ones that are willing to put in all the effort that is humanly possible into trying to help us out when we are in a bind. We are all handicapped by our imperfections, which is why it takes a lot more energy for us to do the right thing when someone else keeps on wronging us. That's why eventually we are forced to make the decision to distance ourselves from those who are suffering from being hypocrites all of the time before they break us down to become what we desperately don't want to be our worst version of ourselves.

DESPERATION

Desperate times have the power to change people into the worst version of themselves. When you lack the ability to control yourself in a terrible situation you are left at the mercy of your desperate alter ego where your moral line gets moved far away from your comfort zone to suit your current situation. Once you move your moral line further away from the norm just to accommodate for your new found situation you will find that your choice to ignore your true values will change the president of all your future choices for the worse. That's why adjusting your moral compass will reshuffle your principles and your ethical judgements, showing all that are in your inner circle that you are not a person of your word. Those who can remain true to themselves even during the tough times will always have the respect of others and are more likely to have strong relationships with their peers. So, if you'd rather be admired for having integrity when it counts, then be the person who you claim to be no matter the type of day that you are having. 

ON THE EDGE

Tolerance can only take you so far. Once you are exhausted of refraining, the opposite response becomes prominent. Your bias is now apparent and in charge of all of your emotions, removing any chances of your logical side taking over. Your ability to control yourself slips away, and you are left with a raw response that doesn't always reflect what you think but more on how you are feeling at this specific moment in time. Regret soon follows once you have released your built-up tension by venting all of your frustrations on some undeserving person, which is nearly  impossible to take back. We all have our limits and whether we stop ourselves before we unleash mayhem onto our unsuspecting peers it is up to us to manage our emotions to what we best believe reflects the person that we want to be. So whether you want to be known for your patience or just seen as an angry person, remember that before you get to the edge and explode.

BOTTLE UP

People who bottle up their emotions believe that holding it all in is the better alternative. They feel that burying their frustrations is better than dealing with them when their problems begin to arise even though this is only ever going to be a temporary solution. Avoiding your problems at first may be a quick fix solution, but your problems will still be around the corner waiting for you twofold to ambush you when you are ill prepared. So prioritising your dilemmas is the only way to get a handle on them, this will allow you to put them in an order of urgency, which will help you create a checklist of importance. These problems at hand need to be your focus point and be treated with the respect they deserve because your mental state is on the line. If we neglect the issues when they are minor issues, then we are doing ourselves an injustice because there can be no good in dodging the inevitable . So respect yourself by allowing your mind to tackle the dramas in your life rather than letting your dramas take your life over and swamp you in a place that may lead to your depression because you are better than that.

PERCEPTON DECAY

As we grow older, our recollection of the past can differ from what we have remembered it to be like, almost unrecognisable from the actual events that took place. Through the passing of time, our life memories decay slowly as our brain fills up with new memories from the experiences that we are now facing and tries to decipher the new memories into organised categories. Whether the new memories are pleasant ones or traumatic ones, our brain does its best to make sense of our mindset that is in disarray, but this is no easy task. The facts of the matter can be construed on what we believe did happen from what actually happened because  sometimes our perspective is tainted by unresolved issues that have led us to take a biased point of view which creates a false narrative. Fresh memories that are based on all the facts considered are more likely to be reliable where time hasn't managed to sprinkle a little fairy dust on it. As kids, we tend to react more before we investigate, whereas adults tend to pay a bit more focus on the attention to detail. So where nostalgia can make you feel that you miss the good old days, it probably felt different when you were growing up as that child. It is probably better to focus on the now rather than reminiscing in your past life tales and much better for your mental state. So think forward and leave the past in the distance.