Coach Ps Perspective

Recently, while cruising the Social Media sea in the early morning hours, I came across a Serena Williams post that included the text below. She includes the #repost hashtag so I'm assuming that these were not her words, but regardless of the author, these are some pretty powerful thoughts contained within it. Despite the obvious skew toward an American perspective ... a simple edit would make it distinctly Canadian ... I was left to deeply ponder the state of my world and how I fit into it.

I’m sick of COVID-19. I’m sick of black vs. white. I’m sick of Democrats vs. Republicans. I’m sick of gay vs. straight. I’m sick of Christians vs atheists. I’m REALLY sick of the media. I’m sick of no one being allowed to think what they want & feel what they do without offending someone. I am sick of the nosey ass people who call the cops when anyone does anything they don’t approve of. I am sick of blaming the whole for the sins of a few.

We’re one race—the human race. You want to support President Trump? You do you. It’s your choice. You want to support Biden? Fine... also your choice! You want to believe in God? Okay, believe in God. You want to believe in magical creatures that fly around & sprinkle fairy dust to make life better? Awesome... you do you.

BUT stop thrusting your beliefs on others & not being able to deal with the fact that they don’t have the same exact mind-set as you. Having our own minds is what makes us all individual and beautiful. If you can’t handle the fact that you may have a friend that has opposing views as you, then you are not any better than the bigots and the racists. I don’t have to agree with everything you believe to be a decent human being & your friend ❤️

#repost #beyourself #iamwhoiam #youdoyou

I am in debt to the original author of these words, whomever he, she or they may be, for gathering all of the angst I have been feeling into a single place. I, too, am growing weary of the constant bickering between opposing sides of whichever argument is being bandied around. Yes, some of the identified issues are larger than the others, and deservedly so due to their severity, but the point is not that one is more important than the other. The point is that we are being bombarded from all sides with negativity surrounding the general populace's inability to allow people to hold their own views without someone identifying themselves as offended. This is not a new phenomenon. It has been part of the human condition since history has been recorded, and likely even well before that. Think the Crusades ... the Inquisition ... the Nazis ... the Residential Schools ... the list is very long, but that doesn't make me feel any better. When will it all stop?

The #youdoyou hashtag has profound wisdom contained within its letters. When did it become everyone else's business which side of the coin I fall on? As the quote points out, as long as I don't impose my beliefs as being right and yours being wrong, insisting that you change to match my views, then what does it matter? Listen, I completely understand and support that there are exceptions to that statement ... racism is never okay, fascism in any form is a problem, purposely harming anyone physically or mentally cannot be tolerated ... but take it as it was intended. This "I'm offended" attitude that has gripped the public mindset has to go the way of the Dodo. You're only offended because you're intolerant.

From my perspective on the back deck, the crux of the matter is people's inability to "let sleeping dogs lie" and be content with the quality of life they have made for themselves. A quick web search will provide an nearly endless list of articles and videos surrounding making the most of your life, something that many seem to, IMHO, lost sight of. Being comfortable in your own skin, and taking responsibility for your station in life is paramount to happiness. Constantly comparing yourself to those around you is a condemning exercise guaranteeing extended periods of depression, quite simply because your particular circumstances are vastly different than mine or anyone else's. Constant comparisons only beget heartache.

#beyourself and #iamwhoiam speak volumes, when it comes to accepting myself, with all of my warts, wrinkles, and faults. I honestly don't mind someone disagreeing with me, and I take no offense if someone stays true to a different opinion. I value friendships that include healthy discourse about emotional topics but culminate in a smile, laugh and handshake. I am comfortable in my own skin, I enjoy spending time alone, I am pleased with what I have accomplished in my years, and I am content with how things have turned out through conscientious actions. I have few regrets and blame no one for the ones I do have.

Everything I've written here is nicely summed up in the infographic at the right. I love this! It's honest, in-your-face message speaks to me on a visceral level. I am not sure who the author is but I'm willing to bet they are pretty okay with where they are in life.

Go with a "glass half full" attitude ... Just like the graphic at the beginning ... focus on the good stuff!