Most thinking individuals are likely to spend at least some of their time pondering what gives their lives the most meaning; what truly matters most to them.

Maybe that sounds like a pretty basic idea, but it's surprising just how many people largely "sleepwalk" their way through life, blindly accepting the images and values of others as their own, without really pausing to consider whether or not it's actually what they want to be doing.

We're often influenced by parents, family, siblings and friends to "become" something... something that's more a reflection of what these people outside ourselves want to be true than it's a reflection of our own inner dreams, hopes and wishes.

Do you listen to your own inner voices, or just those of other people?

These days, it seems like we have fewer and fewer opportunities to actually think for ourselves, perhaps because our lives are so busy that it just becomes easier to go with the flow than to stand up and declare "this doesn't really WORK for me!"

There are lot of reasons why we fall into these patterns. Sometimes we just don't want others to think of us as being a "difficult" person. Or maybe we're afraid we'll be letting down a friend who's very committed to something we don't actually care about... but we "go along," anyway. Maybe it's family pressure. I know my own mother was always hoping that someday I would get a "real" (in her eyes) job and stop messing around with my homemade businesses.

Of course, there are times when it's perfectly OK to go along with some of these things... IF we check in with ourselves and make sure that the "trend" we are being pushed towards is actually one we really want to be part of.

If we don't, there's a high risk of ending up holding a lot of regrets at some later point in time.

Practicing discernment means deliberately taking the time to evaluate what is in front of in terms of whether it fits what we want life to be about. And it means being willing to send "popular trends" packing, if they don't suit us. True long term contentment is substantially dependent on charting our own course, rather than allowing popular trends or culture to "dictate terms" to us.

As I said, this all might come across as very basic to many people... and yet, I am continuously surprised by how many people choose things that are not what they truly want.

So practice discernment! Because it does make a difference.

Thanks for reading and have a great remainder of your week!

How about YOU? are you good at practicing discernment? Do you stand on your own ideas about life, or do you easily cave into the preferences of others? Do you prefer to go with popular opinions, or do you stick to your own? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20210406 23:01 PDT
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