For a very long time in my life, I had given no thought to living. I was the product of my hard-working parents, and I tried my best not to disappoint them. Once college came around, I worked hard to continue this trend, but by then, I was already successful in their eyes, I had gotten a scholarship to go to Georgia Tech and they knew once I landed my first internship with a big tech firm that I had made it. But something happened after that. I started applying the knowledge that I was so fortunate to have to how I lived my life.
I started three tasks, which everyone knows can be good for you in moderation. I started working out, eating healthily, and being more thoughtful. These are three areas which I was particularly weak in. These three areas vastly improved my quality of life. I was falling asleep immediately after going to bed which made me get some truly wonderful rest, my skin was clearing up by being more careful about what I ate and I felt like I grew as a person by starting to think more about the things I said and the things I did before I did them.
And that is when a conflict arose. I began to feel the need to tell everyone around me, hey, you should work out. Oh man, you shouldn't eat this, that's terrible for you. I kept thinking this because I felt so upset that nobody had told this to me before. It seldom worked. People are never influenced by the commands or comments of others. It is incredibly difficult to tell somebody to do something and for them to simply agree with you and go do it, especially for things like working out and eating healthy. Who was I kidding? Everyone knows that working out and eating healthily is good for you. Telling somebody this just makes them feel like you think they're an idiot. I wasn't some super-natural being with the secrets to life -- but I was conceited and it got the best of me.
The problem is spreading the word is incredibly easy, because most of us just aren't willing to actually help our peers out. Instead of telling someone they should work out, why not invite them to go to the gym to work out with you? When choosing a place to eat, why not pick healthy ones? Most menus have something that's decent and that's a start. Let your lifestyle subtly change theirs, because of the things you like to do. Don't make it about telling people what they're doing wrong because that takes them nowhere. Show them how easy it is to change certain aspects of their lifestyle, and they'll be on their way. Once you get them started, you will have opened a curiosity in them and they will be incredibly willing to learn. In retrospect, I can't believe I ever told anybody they should work out, or eat better -- my apologies. It's a terrible implementation of a good intention.
If helping people is too much for you right now, then you're better off not saying anything. Be humble about your actions and keep them to yourself. If these actions in your life are really making you grow as a person -- curious & meaningful people will notice these changes, and ask you about them. Those who do not notice are generally too focused on other aspects of their life, which is why telling them all about the things you do really does not help them -- it generally just upsets them. It may just not be the right time, so despite your urge to tell others they should do something you should either keep quiet or extend a helping hand, but don't just say what's better because that'll rarely help anybody.
I started three tasks, which everyone knows can be good for you in moderation. I started working out, eating healthily, and being more thoughtful. These are three areas which I was particularly weak in. These three areas vastly improved my quality of life. I was falling asleep immediately after going to bed which made me get some truly wonderful rest, my skin was clearing up by being more careful about what I ate and I felt like I grew as a person by starting to think more about the things I said and the things I did before I did them.
And that is when a conflict arose. I began to feel the need to tell everyone around me, hey, you should work out. Oh man, you shouldn't eat this, that's terrible for you. I kept thinking this because I felt so upset that nobody had told this to me before. It seldom worked. People are never influenced by the commands or comments of others. It is incredibly difficult to tell somebody to do something and for them to simply agree with you and go do it, especially for things like working out and eating healthy. Who was I kidding? Everyone knows that working out and eating healthily is good for you. Telling somebody this just makes them feel like you think they're an idiot. I wasn't some super-natural being with the secrets to life -- but I was conceited and it got the best of me.
The problem is spreading the word is incredibly easy, because most of us just aren't willing to actually help our peers out. Instead of telling someone they should work out, why not invite them to go to the gym to work out with you? When choosing a place to eat, why not pick healthy ones? Most menus have something that's decent and that's a start. Let your lifestyle subtly change theirs, because of the things you like to do. Don't make it about telling people what they're doing wrong because that takes them nowhere. Show them how easy it is to change certain aspects of their lifestyle, and they'll be on their way. Once you get them started, you will have opened a curiosity in them and they will be incredibly willing to learn. In retrospect, I can't believe I ever told anybody they should work out, or eat better -- my apologies. It's a terrible implementation of a good intention.
If helping people is too much for you right now, then you're better off not saying anything. Be humble about your actions and keep them to yourself. If these actions in your life are really making you grow as a person -- curious & meaningful people will notice these changes, and ask you about them. Those who do not notice are generally too focused on other aspects of their life, which is why telling them all about the things you do really does not help them -- it generally just upsets them. It may just not be the right time, so despite your urge to tell others they should do something you should either keep quiet or extend a helping hand, but don't just say what's better because that'll rarely help anybody.
Comments