Believe That!

I don't generally take the advice I'm given, whether or not I asked for it. Usually it's because it doesn't resonate with my soul, and I've always been the kind of person who doesn't believe something's hot until my hand is on fire. Being that I usually dismiss the advice I'm given, answering this week's burning question "What's your favorite piece of advice that you've been given?" has proved to be a bit more daunting than it should be. I mean seriously, my mom, my dad, my grandparents, friends, co-workers and love interests have all given me tons of solicited and unsolicited advice I just couldn't recall anything they've said if you told me my life depended on it. (Sorry guys, I check out of most of what you say unless it hits a deep spot in my soul other than that I follow my own internal advice. Unless it's what to do when I'm sick or something. )

Well, since my memory is failing me when it comes to advice I've been given I can say the best piece of advice I've ever heard comes courtesy of Dr. Maya Angelou, she who knows why the caged bird sings. And it goes a little something like this, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." Now Dr Angelou didn't tell me this herself obviously, but I have had my mom and my therapist repeat this to me more times than I care to count because I have a habit of expecting things from people that goes totally against their nature. I have friends that I expect to stop being self centered for 5 minutes when I know they are incapable of talking about anything but themselves, I expect people to be rational and logical that I know are incapable of being either one of those things and I expect my brother to be more like me when I know he's ok as he is despite never being able to be as awesome as I am--heehee. Time and time again, people show me how to deal with them and time and time again I set myself up for failure but setting my expectations well about their behaviors. That is until I realized how peaceful my life could be if I stopped expecting anything from people, especially the ones that show me what they can and can't handle.

So next time someone gets cray-cray on you remember they are showing you they are undiagnosed so treat them accordingly.