The other day, a friend of mine said to me “I know you’ll do the right thing”.
Truly it was harmless, and they were well-intentioned. But it did get me thinking.
I really try to do the right thing, and make the right choices. But when it trying to do the right thing turns into constantly worrying if other people think you’re doing the right thing, it becomes exhausting.
No doubt, we should always strive to do the right thing, make good choices and think before we act. But I also wondered how mistakes and the occasional poor choice might be a necessary part of life.
We know what the “right” thing is because we have been raised with the knowledge of good ethics and moral values. There’s no denying that cultures, societies and religions may have slight variances, but I think one thing that stands true transnationally and across cultures is some form of the Golden Rule – “Treat other people the way you want to be treated”. It’s a pretty good guideline if you ask me, because I know very few people that want to be treated poorly.
It seems like the “wrong” thing is far more subjective. To someone else, you might be seen as hanging out with the “wrong crowd”. But to you that same crowd is an amazing support system. Someone might think you go out too much, but if you change perspectives those experiences are time to hang out with friends, old and new.
As far as mistakes, sure the point of view debate is a big part of that. Going on a date with that guy might seem like a mistake as far as your BFF is concerned, but actually ends up either being a great night for you, or a great learning experience.
Plainly put there’s plenty of opportunity for learning experiences through mistakes. Maybe that’s a very “glass half full” way of looking at it, but isn’t it true? You make a decision, carry out an action, realize you made a mistake, and now you know you don’t want to do that again. You’ve learned something about yourself, a situation, an environment, maybe another person.
All I’m saying is that, yes you should strive to make good choices. Because actions have reactions, repercussions and consequences. But don’t fret if you make a bad decision every now and again. Life goes on, you learn from it. No need to beat yourself up about it.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Try not to let other people put too much pressure on you. It’s probably ok if you don’t always make the right decision.
