Cowboy Hats & Coffee Huts: 5 Things I've Said And Wish I Could Take Back

Did I really say that?

We've all done it; loudly and proudly made statements and declarations only to end up eating our words later in life. I guess the old adage "never say never" is 100% right!

There are countless things I've loudly touted as a correct viewpoint only to discover, low and behold, I was *gasp* wrong. There are also ways of doing things I've sworn I'd never in a million years do and, what-do-ya-know, I went ahead and did.

Here are 5 fantastic examples of things I said in the past and how I've changed my mind:

What I said then ~ "I'll never homeschool!"

What I'm saying now ~ "Hmm, I think I'm going to homeschool..."

What I said then ~ "I won't do a homebirth."

What I say now ~ "Yeah, I had my youngest in my living room... on purpose."

What I said then ~ "Those people protesting the Iraq war are deluded."

What I say now ~ "Get the U.S. military out of all foreign countries!"

What I said then ~ "The war on drugs is moral and people who use drugs are criminals."

What I say now ~ "The war on drugs is immoral and is creating criminals."

What I said then ~ "Yep, I've got it all figured out."

What I say now ~ "Wow, there is a lot I still have to learn."

Why has my opinion changed so dramatically in, not only the above areas, but other parts of my life? Well, basically, it's because I live my life horizontally and not vertically. You may ask, 'What the dingy does that mean?!" Let me explain: *ahem* It's a theory I have which states there are two ways a person can live out their life. One way of living is the Vertical Life. The other is the Horizontal Life.

The Vertical Life
...stationary and stubborn...

The Vertical Life is like a tree; it starts out as a seed and grows larger and larger, reaching ever more for the sky, taller and taller and taller. The Vertical Life changes physically and seems to be getting bigger and bigger but, alas, it never goes anywhere. It stays rooted in the same spot it started out in, its scope of the world very limited, enveloped in a few familiar surroundings but its knowledge forever hampered by its short view of the universe it exists in.

The Horizontal Life
...who knows what lessons lie ahead for the learning mind...

The Horizontal Life is like a journey; you start it by heading out on a path across the face of the earth. You are forever moving forward, seeing new things, meeting new people, confronting obstacles and brave ideas. Every day you're in a new place. Eventually, your view and opinions have become seasoned by your now very broad scope of the world. Its caused growth in you. Its caused original opinions to be formed. You haven't stayed rooted in the same spot without ever looking outside your comfort zone. For you, life is a never ending journey and you're moving forward, leaving some baggage and things behind. You're even changing your mind! Bravo.

(Interestingly enough, whether you live a Vertical or Horizontal Life has nothing to do with you're actual physical movement. It's your knowledge, mind, and spirit who need to decide this. For example, a well-traveled person can, nonetheless, be living a very Vertical Life.)

In closing, I actually have a reason for sharing my five "before and after" thoughts (though some of them make me cringe when I remember how I've had to eat my words). No, the reason was not to spark any debates or fan a fire of disagreement with people who think one way or the other. Trust me, it doesn't feel awesome to expose how wrong I've been or how wrong you may think I am now.

I actually have two valid points to make.

Be quite and listen to others; sometimes that's just as important as stating what you think.

First of all, be humble. No matter how right you are, you may not be as right as you'd like to believe. Of course, we all do what we do because we think we're right. Duh. But just remember, unsolicited advice is criticism. It's totally awesome to share what you are doing in your life or how you've experienced something, positive or negative. Telling your story is always okay and needs to be done. But never expect others to be just like you or to do things your way. No other human being is going to think exactly like you. It's prideful to expect this in others. Be humble, please.

Meet the person who has never been wrong in his entire life!
Congratulations! Just what is your secret?

Second of all, if you've never changed your mind on anything, then that means you truly believe you've been 100% right in every area of your life since forever. Wow. If you're this person, I'm earnestly scared for you. Don't be a toddler in an adult's body who refuses to grow, change, or adapt. You're setting yourself up to live in a very small world with very small people. Get outside your comfort zone and see the world from the eyes of a stranger!

It's never to late to uproot yourself and take the first step of a Horizontal Life.

What way are you going to live?

Friday, August 15, 2014

5 Things I've Said And Wish I Could Take Back

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Friday, August 15, 2014

5 Things I've Said And Wish I Could Take Back

No comments:

Post a Comment

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