Thought I would write a post in relation to the importance of perspective in everyday life because I'm excited to see the show on Channel 10 tonight called 'A can of worms'. From what I gather, it's a show that explores the insight of everyday Australians as they input their perspective on different issues. It definitely intrigues me to watch, learn and try to understand the mindset of different people. I hope it catches on in the sense that it encourages people to expand and broaden their minds.
I'm sure everybody is familiar with the saying "I had to bite my tongue", referring to the notion of 'keeping a thought or opinion to yourself' or 'not saying what you want to say' in particular situations. For me, I find myself in many instances where I have to decide if it's beneficial to speak my mind at that moment in time. Sometimes instinct overpowers train of thought and that results in me openly expressing myself in a way that may prove disrespectful and inappropriate. This is one character trait that I am continually trying to work on.
Over the years I had found myself interchanging from a uber passive person, to a fairly assertive, and at times a confused person taking an aggressive approach. Experience has shown me that there are different times and places that requires me to take different approaches.
Every job I've had required me dealing with customers with personalities that range from friendly and shy people to aggressive and unreasonable people. Working in retail is definitely a test of patience and character. That being said, I can safely admit that I was never the most professional worker you will ever see, but I was open to learning new things in terms on taking the right approach when dealing with different people. This proved significant in the sense that it enabled me to learn how to hold back and not necessarily wear my heart on my sleeve all the time.
Everyday life and general social interaction can sometimes have as much impact and influence over your mindset as direct lessons from your parents/guardians. I'm starting to see the importance of taking a more open-minded approach to life. The world doesn't exactly embrace just one particular culture and its values. People are entitled to their own opinions, beliefs and passions. It's ok to disagree with people whom practice different faiths and morals, but as long as they aren't breaking the law then who are we as individuals to tell them what is the absolute correct way of living. One's approach to living may not prove ideal in contrast with another's perspective but we must learn to accept.
We all have people close to us that may behave and act in ways that don't initially receive our approval. No matter how hard we try to teach and shape them into ideal beings, sometimes it's the wrong approach. Whose to say we know what's right and wrong all the time. Sure we may found ourselves wanting to guide them onto what we perceive as the 'correct path' but at the end of the day, every individual is their own person on their own journey and you shouldn't force them to change (unless it's within reason). The important thing is to exercise acceptance when appropriate.
I may be overly sensitive and overly defensive at times but I'm grateful for the times where people 'put me in my place' when I needed a good kick in the butt (as much as I hate reacting to criticism). It's not so much about trying to get everyone's approval, it's more so an attempt to learn and expand my knowledge on different perspectives.
As we attempt to grow into what we perceive as our 'ideal selves' we may temporarily send our original values and beliefs adrift and exchange them with alternatives in order to broaden our understanding on perspective or even feel a sense of improvement. At the end of the day, we must embrace the notion that we have an infinite amount of life lessons we need to learn and apply. Despite having strong feelings against some values, we must endure any sort of psychological damage the feelings may cause in order to explore our potential in terms of having a strong mentality.
Acceptance equals growth...
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