Lesson learned: LET YOUR GENTLENESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL. -Phillipians 4:5.
Oh, and it helped that I moved to Canada, one of the most polite countries in the world. People here don't speak up much (in general) for fear of hurting or offending others. It was a good culture for my personality to become immersed in. But, tending toward all-or-nothing, I became quiet, and as PC as I could. My pendulum swung clear to the other side, and my goal was to be liked by everyone.
New Lesson learned: THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO AVOID CRITICISM: DO NOTHING, SAY NOTHING, BE NOTHING. -Aristotle
Turns out, no matter what I did, I still wasn't liked by some people. Some people still got mad at me, didn't want to be my friend, or asked me to be quiet. Turns out, you can't please everyone.
So, this is the year that I say: I'm going to have real courage.
COURAGE IS WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND UP AND SPEAK. COURAGE IS ALSO WHAT IT TAKES TO SIT DOWN AND LISTEN. -Winston Churchill
I'm finding my balance between the extremes. 2015 is the year of true courage.
More to come.
