Thursday, March 9, 2023
You can speak your mind and keep your peace. You can try to manipulate, but ultimately, the heart of another can only be convinced from within. You have some influence, and your advice might be spot on, but conviction is out of your hands. Repeating yourself and nagging won’t do it either. The other person will come around, but on their terms, not yours. Some have to keep making poor decisions repeatedly, before they even begin to see the truth. Some never make it.
From learning how to stop people-pleasing to dissolving addictions, self-destructive behaviors are ceased only by inner revelation that comes with trial and error, not by anyone else’s “convincing.” Life is the great convincer. We can warn others, but we cannot change their hearts. Circumstances will arm-twist the recalcitrant, and it doesn’t need your so-called help. You may recognize that life is trying to show someone else a thing or two, but it’s not until they recognize it, that change finally occurs. If they change for you, they’ll feel resentful towards you, and it won’t last. Self-revelation, a deep awakening from within, is the only thing that yields permanent change.
It’s hard to watch people make poor decisions that destroy their lives. But trust in the work of the universe, each person is awakening to an inner unfolding, one day at a time. Don’t try to interfere with that process or rush it. You can drop a hint or remind, but ultimately life corrects everyone at a level that meets them at their own, divinely-appointed pace of awakening. Speak your peace, then wash your hands of the situation. Let life get to work, then focus on maintaining your own joy and peace. After all, that’s what your life is for, to enjoy it, not to anguish over the poor choices that others make for themselves.