116: Discernment is Your Ally When Opinions Abound
Life in the infomation-era has it's advantages.
Thumb-scrolling access to the latest insight, life-hack, or opinion has the potential to increase your knowledge.
Being part of the knowlege-worker tribe, I find this to be fertile ground for planting my own seeds of wisdom.
Before you rush thumbs-first into your next knowledge-seeking scroll, consider one disadvantage: becoming too accustomed to someone else's opinion or insight into what's good, best, to be avoided, or used to improve yourself.
I admit, I'm among the opinionated and desiring to be useful ones on our weekly themes associated with age-related personal growth and longevity.
But I'm also humble enough to know that my shared knowledge comes with a take-it-or-leave it clause.
And perhaps that's the point.
There are opinions galore about how to live your best life but discernment is still your best knowledge filter
I've lived long enough to know there's occasionally more than one way to approach life, aging, and it's associated problems and predicaments.
I've also arrived at the realization that someone has the right to tell me what to do and how to live my best life but the necessary discernment is on me - and in your orbit, on you.
Discernment is your ally for how you filter all of the knowledge that is a thumb, channel, or newsfeed scroll away.
- You can inventory your wisdom
- You can avoid second-guessing
- You can listen to your gut intuition
Inventory your wisdom resources
Knowing how you are supposed to live can be a matter of opinion.
That's when your earned wisdom steps in.
You don't have to wait for someone to weigh-in on what you should do next or whether a choice you're about to make is the right one.
Wisdom gives you the freedom to evaluate your condition.
Wisdom gives you the opportunity to explore your options.
Wisdom gives you the permission to question the status quo.
Use your wisdom - you've earned it and it is among your life's most discerning resources.
Avoid second-guessing yourself
You know what you know and that knowledge provides decision-making confidence.
There's more than one way to approach your challenges.
If you feel limited, step back and check yourself.
Playing the guessing-game keeps you indecisive and puts your personal growth at risk.
Instead, trust your experience.
Give yourself credit for knowing what you know.
Stand in your confidence as you age.
Listen to your gut-intuition
Before technology delivered content, you were more connected to your personal experiences and wisdom about how to approach an emotional, physical, or age-induced impasse.
Once online gurus entered the conversation, so did doubt, and you somehow felt discredited.
Your super-power mustn't become a victim of technology's kryptonite effect.
You're only weakened by your inability to listen...really listen to your gut.
What's your gut telling you about how you're aging?
How is your gut responding to culture's self-diminishing ageism?
When will you stop listening to what's expected of you at whatever age you are and begin to write your own rules for how you age?
My gut (and hopefully yours) says those decisions are up to you.
Opinions abound but your discernment enables you to decide what works for you and what doesn't
- Trust your wisdom
- Trust your experience
- Trust your gut
Press on...
Eddie