I do so love these little words of encouragement that get passed around on facebook, these bits of wisdom from pop culture that fit neatly on a coffee cup. I feel almost bad to even complain. Considering much of what gets passed around, it is so encouraging and charming to see a bit of gentleness in the world, no matter how poorly phrased.
Don’t mind me, I have been known to have long debates with church bulletins before. Hey, I am all about the signs.
So this particular bit of encouragement just rubbed me the wrong way. Let’s start with the first one. If it feels wrong, don’t do it. Oh dear. There goes my job. Also paying bills. Cleaning toilets. Motherhood. Marriage…
The truth is, we often have to do things that just “feel wrong.” Go to school, go to work…..interact with other people. It’s called life. Suck it up, buttercup. It isn’t always going to be about what you feel. Sometimes the best things of all don’t feel so good at first.
Trust your instincts. W-e-l-l yes, except perhaps your instinct to consume an entire gallon of chocolate ice cream, smoke, drink, have casual sex, steal your neighbor’s car… ..Oh come now, I can’t be the only one with questionable and impure “instincts?”
Never give up on your dreams, now that’s a tough one. Do you dream of becoming a unicorn? If so, would you please seek help before getting a horn surgically implanted in your skull? People really do that you know, they dream of becoming something they were never intended to be. There is a consolation prize often hidden in there, you may not get what you have dreamed for yourself, but you might just get something better. Everyone is unique and special, but we cannot all be Batman. Also, he is not even real. Neither are unicorns.
Let go of what you can’t control. Now that one is a real bugger. There are many things in life that you cannot control, but they are so precious and valuable, you should cling fiercely to them anyway. Love, for instance. Other people. Raindrops. Puppies. Toddlers completely dismantling your living room. Control is highly over rated. Don’t let go of the “things” you can’t control, let go of your need for control.
Never speak bad about yourself, yes. Be kind to yourself, yes. Love, oh yes.
***REPOST FROM 2015
silenceofmind said:
Atheists dream of being God.
I really wish they would give up on that particular dream.
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garym6059 said:
I live by the motto if it feels wrong, then I must be doing something right!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Ha! words of wisdom there. I shall have to try that.
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Kate Minter said:
If certain people told me I was right, I’d be convinced I was wrong 🙂
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49erDweet said:
I love #2. In fact my life’s ambition has forever and ever been to absolutely completely obliterate and stamp out gross excessive repetitive unnecessary hyperbole.
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Quixie said:
This is a good one. Can’t stand platitudes.
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Kate Minter said:
You have attitude about platitudes 🙂
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Quixie said:
I certainly do. 😊
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Paul said:
What!?!? There are no unicorns!?!? 😉
I know a few people who would benefit from admitting they were wrong occasionally – present company excepted of course. You know when i saw that little poster, i clicked on it and read it before I read your post. My first thought was I can think of reasons to not do each one of those listed platitudes.Even Love. Or as the Bible says: There is a time and place all things…
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fantasticbetty2014 said:
Gah – so true, these things sound ok at first glance but filtered through the Word of Truth they fall apart. And that is the problem, to think that the first glance, the surface look, is enough and all there is. The good news is that these feel good posts are sure nicer to read then the ones that complain, whine and rant about nonsense.
Thanks, IB!
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wlloydjr said:
Wow didn’t look deep into the ones you pointed out. I mostly skip through memes unless they really draw my interest. Facebook has become a place for stupid and questionable memes, videos, and posts. I just skim through them and read the comments people make. Let’s just same I’m the guy eating popcorn waiting for a good argument to break out. Love your break downs though. They are all true about what you did about them. If it felt wrong, I’d probably be broke, lonely, and stupid.
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I 53:5 Project said:
Hey IB,
I just put up a post asking for guest bloggers to fill in while I’m on vaction in July. Hope you’ll send something. Something new or maybe a good chance to put up and old favorite.
James
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Purpleanais said:
I’m sure I told you this already but you have bucketload of common sense and I really like it!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you for your kind words and for reading. 😉
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amommasview said:
Ha! You got some good points there. Yet we need the little affirmations every now and then, no matter if they make sense really. I had a good laugh and you are definitely right with what you are saying 🙂
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madblog said:
Yikes. I hate these memes all the time. To take this one apart right, number by number, would take a long post. Suffice to say that in order to do #12, you often have to do a lot of the “don’t’s” and not do a lot of the “do’s”.
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Captain Q said:
“stop trying to be a unicorn…” Okay IB, noted.
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christinewjc said:
Ha! Loved this! Humor is badly needed these days – even when discussing serious topics.
You and I live in the real world. FB pansies do not – which is why I’m not on there anymore.
When the CEO calls its users “stupid f-words” for trusting their information with him, for me, it would be ludicrous to use such a site.
Thanks for sharing such wonderful insights for us real world people!
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NothingImportant2Say said:
Thought I’d trust my instincts here and leave a comment. I pondered the premise of the “12 steps for self care.” I wondered what they meant by self care. To take care of myself, I would start with essentials like eating food, getting good rest, and breathing the air. Loved the post, we do need words of encouragement, but we also need practicality in the advice we give. I enjoyed your writing, and added myself as a follower, you make a good cup of coffee!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thanks for reading and for your kind words. 🙂
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Lively Life said:
Super duper! Kinda like::
https://rampike.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/some-quotes-just-arent-good-or-are-they/
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