The temptation to fix

When someone close to you is suffering, or perhaps in your opinion, not making the right choices, then there is a well-intentioned temptation to fix them.

We base a good deal of this on our own experiences in life and feel the need to impart our lessons to others, as Stephen Covey would say, in an autobiographical way.

However, others rarely want to hear our stories versus being able to tell theirs. They even more rarely want you to tryto fix them, especially as most often the case is, we haven’t even listened to them. We’ve simply based our ideas looking at it through our lens, so entirely from our perspective.

We all have uniquely different journeys and sets of experiences and the only way we can even provide any useful advice is to first listen and understand and secondly avoid the ‘well, when I was doing…’ type of advice.

People aren’t broken, listen without judgement and with empathy to understand them and give advice if asked.

Washing machines and cars need fixing not people.

Closed for repairs

It’s good for us all to shut up shop.

Switch it all off.

Close the blinds, pull the duvet over and say ‘screw you world’.

Not often, but every so often, this allows a chance to breath, to relax, to be without any cares. A time to recharge a little, think, review, and allow some of the tensions of life to escape.

It’s even good to break the mundaneness of life’s rituals and routines.

Regularly, of course, it’s bad. But once in a blue moon, it’s good to be ‘closed for repairs’.