There are some things we can all agree on regardless of how different we may be. Like the universally understood fact that no one can raise a barn or make potato salad like the Amish AND no matter how perfect you are there is always room for improvement. That last part is a tricky one. I’ve thought long and hard over the years about ways I’d like to better myself. A sound mind and body, realization of my full potential (“would you like fries with that?”) mastering a lethal roundhouse kick, etc. But, I can say without a doubt that nothing makes me more determined to run quickly in the opposite direction of self-help, good fortune and prosperity than someone telling me what I’m doing wrong.
Have you ever had someone who decided to bless you with some “home truths” so you could better yourself after listening to their well thought out critique? After lamenting your shortcomings and letting you know that there is always room for change where you are concerned there is always the pat on the head, and because you were tired or not your usual rapier sharp self you couldn’t come up with a fitting retort for the situation. All you could do was stew in a vat of your own perceived inadequacies as you sat there like a whipped dog soaking up the criticism .
This ALWAYS happens to me.
Not just because I suck in so many ways, but because thinking on my feet is not my strong point. By the time I’ve thought of a way to say “hey, I’m not really that bad!” my urge grab a frying pan in a frenzy and knock the sanctimonious sneer off the face of my adversary has diminished.
So, the next time someone takes time out of their busy schedule to show you where you could use a little improvement just remember that the “fixer” probably has some serious issues of their own but occasionally the wisdom nuggets they drop around you DO have a bit of truth to them. Unless of course, like me, you could not be any closer to perfection than you already are.
