“Tomorrow, do EXACTLY what you want to do. Say No when you mean No, and Yes when you mean Yes. What survives is your right life.” ~Martha Beck
My first reaction to the whole idea of doing exactly what I want to do is that it seems sacrilegious to me. “How selfish, how self-centered, that would be!” my inner monsters scream. I was well-trained as a child that I should always think of everyone else first. After all, if we are all born as horrible sinners (as my childhood faith proclaims), then the very fact that I want to do something automatically makes the impulse suspect. Being a good person, then, is all about how well we are able to discipline ourselves into denying ourselves what we want to do. Therefore, doing what I want to do just because I want it must be the epitome of evil. Right?
I’m not so sure anymore.
Continue reading →