Post 67: All that Glitters

'All that glitters is not gold' has always been an interesting saying for me because I have always taken it to mean two different things.

The first thing it means to me is that just because something is glittery doesn't mean it is gold. So, basically, just because it seems good doesn't mean it is because appearances or initial impressions can be deceiving. So, it can be put along side 'don't judge a book by its cover'. 

But I have also taken it to mean that you shouldn't take for granted what you already have. So, I'm taking all that glitters isn't gold to mean that gold isn't the only things that is special. There are other things that glitter, things you might already have. So, instead of focusing on what you don't have, you should appreciate what you have already.

Both seem like good pieces of advice for a happier life. After all, I have friends that from appearance seem very different from me, too different to seem like we would be compatible as friends. Yet, we are. 

And it can be so depressing looking at something you cannot afford or achieve, it is better to focus on what you have and can achieve and improving on them. I cannot sing. Well, I can. But, I shouldn't. I wish I could, but if I spent all my time on thinking about what I cannot do instead of what I can, I would be miserable and angry all the time and I would never get anywhere or accomplish anything.

All this sounds well and good, but I must confess, I don't always take this advice to heart when I should. Or I use it the wrong way, taking it out of context to cripple myself. Not intentionally, though. I am not good at math. But, focusing on that as if it were a certainty and making math something I couldn't do, and then accepting it made it harder for me to do better and prove myself wrong.

The problem with advice like this is sometimes you need to focus on what you don't have or cannot do to achieve it or receive it. Appreciating the car you have won't do you any good if it is broken, sometimes you need a new one. Judging someone by there appearance can sometimes be useful, if they are covered in someone else's blood and not a doctor, they might be good to avoid.

One of the hardest things to do sometimes is to navigate the grey areas that surround us and use both our common sense and the advice we receive to survive, to live, and to thrive. 

That's all for now.