The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. – Carl Jung
These shoes may fit Dad well, but they're just not my size!
What does that mean?
Let’s face facts. One size most emphatically does not fit all! I’ve known that my entire life, as I have always been on the tall side. From this, we know that everyone is different, even identical twins (I’ve seen it where one is thin and the other less so).
We all have different needs, and different abilities. We have different preferences and tastes. Life is also unique. Every day is different, and every day we are different. Our friends and family change every day (hopefully only a little bit at a time). What worked for you yesterday, what you liked yesterday, that can be different today, right?
No one recipe suits everyone, whether it’s shoes, life, or food. We need to realize that when we hear someone telling us how to live our lives. What is appropriate for one culture isn’t right for the next. Even within a culture, the parents are always ‘behind the times’ and never seem to understand. We need to be flexible and make allowances for other people and their unique traits, needs, and desires.
Why is being flexible important?
Besides the usual jokes about being able to bend over backwards for others, flexibility is a very useful trait, when used in moderation. Be very flexible about the approach, have some flexibility in the goals, but I would be careful about flexibility in values. Yes, values change, but only with deliberate consideration, which is outside the scope of this topic.
Life is change, and what worked before won’t necessarily work in the future. Situations change, people change, everything changes. As kids grow older, they change, as does any recipe that deals with them. As adults grow older, they change, as does any recipe that deals with them. As relationships grow older, they change, as does any recipe that deals with them.
By being flexible, you can adjust to the inevitable changes that will come you way. The only other option is to be inflexible, and in a world that is constantly changing, that isn’t going to end well, is it? Use your perception and get feedback on how things are changing. Use that to tune your responses and repeat until you’re pleased with the result. And then things will change again, and you start over.
Where can I apply this in my life?
I would start by thinking about all the things that have been changing in your life lately. What used to be just fine, but now is a pain? For me, this quote got a laugh, because my feet are starting to change. At a certain point in life (and it varies for everyone), the ‘middle age spread’ hits your feet.
Ligaments stretch from years of standing, walking, running, and whatever else. This leads the feet to get a little wider and ‘suddenly’ a pair of shoes I haven’t worn in nearly two years is too tight across the width of my foot! Not exactly pinching, as stated in the quote, but close enough for me to get a laugh.
How are your relationships? How are your parents and/or kids? Have your interests evolved due to changes in ability? Have your tastes changed? Has the culture changed? Did you used to dance the night away, but now your legs get sore after just a few dances?
For me, life is about being happy. However, sometimes life changes, and happy moves. I try to figure out what it was that generated the joy, so that I might consider other ways to find the same joy in modified manner. If you couldn’t dance any more, but enjoyed the company as much as the dancing, you could pace yourself, and still socialize with your friends.
Grab some paper and make a short list of things that have changed in your life. Changed because you changed, because other people changed, or because society (or social norms) changed. What other ways has life changed for you? Write the most annoying of them down.
Now write down what about ‘the way it used to be’ was better than it is now. Then consider what you can do differently to adapt to the new situation, yet still get a similar sensation as before. Can you do it with different people, or at a different location? What can you change to keep things the same? (think about it)
Now you have to decide what you are going to do to get started. Which one will you start with? Pick one and start brainstorming and planning. What are you going to try first, and what is PlanB, should things not go according to your plan? What other aspects do you want to try to change, to see if it helps? Keep track of what works and what doesn’t, and then make adjustments. Then try one of the other items on your list. And another.
Flexibility is the key to continuing to enjoy life while still changing with the times, the situations, and the people in your life. The recipes in your life will change, so be prepared for new tastes, even if you don’t want it to change.
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/carljung165964.html
Photo by Christopher Blizzard
