To Defend

This...

God Bless. 

Today's Quotation:

You don't have to defend or explain your decisions to anyone. It's your life. Live it without apologies.

Mandy Hale

Today's Meditation:

Have you ever felt that you had to explain or defend a decision you made that you knew in your heart to be the right choice? Have you ever felt bad or guilty for having to turn down an invitation from someone? We often feel as though we have to explain, justify, and defend our decisions to others, and that we cannot act unless their approval has been granted. However, when we give up that level of freedom in our lives, we relinquish control and lose our authenticity--we deny ourselves the very uniqueness we possess as a one-of-a-kind person, created by the hands of a God who loves us dearly. But at the same time, it is important that we understand that if our decisions affect the lives of others, we must exhibit caution and prudence so that we do not harm them with our actions. You can embrace your freedom... as long as your choices do not diminish the freedom of others.

Social norms often dictate that we should not inconvenience others, or that we should design our lives around the plans and commitments of others. But what if we are not feeling up to the weather, or if we prefer to spend some time relaxing and recharging our batteries? I feel that what Mandy is saying here, is that if I feel that I need a quiet evening at home, instead of spending the night with the same group of friends that I typically do, then I should not feel the need to explain myself to anyone else. Of course, I should be considerate of others and try to provide some explanation or notice, but I should not let myself feel obligated to live up to the demands or standards of others as those feelings can be unhealthy.

And perhaps our choices would seem much easier if our decisions did not offend people so easily. Nevertheless, they are our decisions, and we are the ones who have to face the consequences of them... good or bad. Therefore, based on what we know is best for us, it is very important that we are able to make the decisions we need to, with a reasonable amount of comfort.

You are the captain of your vessel, and if you fail to define your desired course in life, or act in ways that will bring you closer to your desired destination, well then you are not really acting as the captain of your ship, are you?

Today's Challenge: Find strength within your ability to make the choices that are important in your life today.

Questions to consider:

How often do you find yourself defending or explaining your choices to others?

Why is it so important to defend or explain ourselves to others?

How does our ability to "live our life without apology," contribute to our level of freedom?

For further thought:

At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.

Steve Maraboli

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Series of daily inspirations revisited and revised for publication. Thank you for all the interest and support through the years.

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