Do you remember the enneagram personality tests they give sometimes at work? I was type 9. Type 9 is characterized as a peacemaker or someone who doesn’t like to “rock the boat.” I see both sides of most situations, so sometimes it can be difficult to make decisions. As a result, I come off to a lot of people who know me as being passive or lazy.
Usually I know in my gut what I want but I don’t always express it because, “what if I make the wrong decision?” So, I just go with the flow in most situations and wait and see what happens.
Sounds relaxing, right? Not at all.
Going with the flow all the time and not being able to make firm decisions leads to anxiety, depression, and lack of focus. I ignore a lot of stuff until it comes to the point where it cannot be ignored any longer. Then I freak out. Thank God for anxiety medication but there has to be a better solution, right?
We are all built differently. Each of us is made up of a special, unique genetic make-up unlike anyone else. We each have different ways of thinking. Certain things work for us and certain things don’t. I am different than you. You are different than me. Do you get what I am trying to convey here?
Sometimes I let people I care about down simply because I am just being me. What’s best for me might not necessarily be best for the person in my life I am dealing with. Sometimes we forget we are different though. Sometimes our expectations are so high of the people in our lives that we take it personally when we don’t see eye to eye. We plead our case. We try to convince. We talk too much. We blame.
Blaming others for not sharing your point of view leads to disappointment all around. Let’s take the presidential candidates, for example. I know people who lean to each side. They state their case. They try to convince. They become disappointed when I do not agree. (I am not a fan of either candidate. Am I being passive?).
The thing is that we each have different thoughts. We have different information going in our brains and we compute it differently. WE JUST DON’T THINK EXACTLY THE SAME WAY ABOUT MUCH OF ANYTHING. It doesn’t make me wrong, and it doesn’t make you wrong. It makes us human.
Whatever the case, don’t allow someone else to make you feel bad about your opinion. Or in my case, not having a clear opinion all of the time. When my best isn’t good enough for another human being, it is still the best for God. He knows what goes in. He knows how I process my information. And He knows how I decide what to do with it. I am here to please Him. Period. He knows I am not lazy. He knows I make my decisions based on what will bring Him glory in my own personal way.
Blessings,
Stacey ~ iamalive