Worthy opinions
“I was never the smartest person in my classrooms and [I] always abstained from participating in class because I had no fresh/worthy opinions. “-R.
Um…okay. As a coach, I receive many interesting emails. This quote comes from one of those emails, and yes I already vented spoke with the human who reached out, and we had our come-to-Jesus session. You people think I’m playing when it comes to taking every human and their potential seriously. You are incorrect; I am not playing.
But the whole “fresh/worthy opinions” thing keeps going through my mind. What even are “worthy opinions?” Who gets to decide that anyone’s opinions are worthy, anyway? This, to my mind, is especially apparent after spending time on social media, and being appalled by some people’s commitment to their fear and ignorance; you want to say, “Clearly, if you think I’m living wrong, then I must be doing something 100% right.”
I mean, what the hell do I know, but I suspect that smart people earn their opinions. They make mistakes, they learn from them, they resolve to make smarter mistakes next time…rinse and repeat. No one is born with “fresh/worthy opinions,” some people earn them through truly being alive, and thinking and trying to understand their lives. I remember, for example, some of the opinions I had that I considered worthy, even ten years ago, and I sigh. Deeply. I regret the time I wasted, for example, convincing myself that I didn’t know enough to start a small business, but I learned from my mistakes and the world continues spinning.
However, if you’re going to spend your life diminishing yourself, and by extension, your opportunities, because your ideas (i.e. you) aren’t “worthy;” if you’re not going to try, because you’ve already decided that you don’t have anything useful to contribute…how’s that going to work out? How are you going to ever gain any “worthy” opinions if you won’t try, if you won’t roll up your sleeves and immerse yourself in this thing called life*? Life is a process of making mistakes and, hopefully, getting smarter.
Who gets to decide that your opinions, your choices, your LIFE aren’t worthy? Why are you allowing people to tell you that you, in all your wonderful weirdness, isn’t not worthy? Why are you so quick to give your power away?
*Apologies/respect to Prince.
come to Jesus sessions electric thing called life emails from clients how to change your life how to change your mind how to get good opinions how to respect yourself how to save your own life lessons from Prince songs life lessons making choices in your own life rilke quotes shit just got real this is not a fucking game