When I was little, my mom used to open the living room window of our split level house and yell for us to come home. With few fences on ‘The Loop’ my boundary was set by how far my mom’s voice carried through our neighborhood. Her voice can still be prominent in my head: ‘I love you’, ‘lock your car doors’, ‘you are smart’, ‘don’t get your hopes up’, ‘a job not done well is a job not done’. I could write an essay on just these last two sentences she spoke many times. Not giving myself room to fail has really stopped me to just.get.started.
Over the years, many influences have been added to my thoughts. My father-in-law left behind a legacy of empowering words both written and spoken. You can read more about that here. Some of his directives included these: ‘you can do anything you set your mind to’, ‘knock and the door will be answered’, ‘integrity matters’.
Sometimes when I didn’t hear the dinner call, another neighborhood kid would ride by me on their bike: ‘your mom is yelling for you to come home!’ Oops, apparently I had wandered out of bounds. I might still do that…
A recent situation reminded me that sometimes you have to move past your internal boundaries. Getting advice from a single person too close to the situation can lead to a discussion slanted by their personal, emotional experience. Stepping beyond a myopic opinion to include other counselors can help you make a more informed, less emotional decision and discover a better path.
Who are the voices leading you? The story in your head directs your moves; make sure you have many trusted people who encourage you to move forward and live your best life.
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