Day 10 - Think for Yourself

Discover

I do not think for myself as much as I really should.  I've done some reflecting on recent situations in my life and wondered if I had made the right decisions.  I doubted myself.  I still don't know whether I made the right decision...

Explore (Think and feel)

I came to the discovery and conclusion that the reason I seem to always doubt myself is because I do not think for myself -- I often let other people's words determine what will happen with my life.  I let life pass me by without stopping to think and figuring out, "Where do I stand in this situation?"  It is a scary position to be in.  It is also a disturbing position because I am floating around aimlessly and I can never put my foot down.

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After 20+ years of living, I finally fully realized that this is a BIG PROBLEM in my life.  So how do I fix the situation?  I Googled "How to think for yourself" and found the WikiHow website with some helpful tips:

• "Immerse yourself in artistic/creative outlets. Write a song or poem. Draw a picture. Build or cook something from scratch. Valuing your own creativity is a key step on the road to independent thought.
• Avoid one sided systems such as political parties. Associating yourself with groups that do not actively question their goals and objectives, or consider opposing views, will in the long run close your mind, rather than open it. You should be able to adapt yourself to any perspective—not limit yourself to a single one. Belonging to a stagnant thinking group may invoke in people of average intelligence—a "group mentality".
• If you don't agree with a particular "law", or "rule", then DO NOT FOLLOW IT! The consequences are probably worth the peace of mind that you get knowing that you stood up for yourself. Keep in mind that YOU only get ONE life. If you spend your life following orders, you'll follow them right to your grave."

I found the last two tips to be especially thought provoking.  Realizing that not being able to think for myself is the big problem in my life, I believe that that may be the reason for not finding my passion(s) in life.  So now, my quest to find my passion in life is being refocused to being able to turn on my brain, question things around me, and being brave to stand up for MY OWN decisions no matter what someone else may think of me.