Earning the Life & People Merit Badge
Anticipation of perfect people in a perfect world is easily one of the greatest causes of disappointment and despair. This applies equally to expectations of yourself and your expectations of others.
Being human is part of being here; human evolution is about experiencing your limitations so that you make better decisions. The more flawless a person looks at the surface, the more likely they are to have cracks in their foundation.
“If your wellbeing is tied up in trying to gain the acceptance of others, you will find yourself on a rollercoaster – going up, down, and all around.” – Carl Stubbs, Sgt. Eugene Police Force, Pastor
Likely Scenarios on the Path to Evolving
Common life experiences give you the opportunity to earn that ‘Life and People Merit Badge.’ Earning it (and the peace that goes with it) is all about how you deal with what life throws at you.
Not Everyone Will Like You
Not everyone will like you, receive you, or help you. They will believe a lie about you…because it’s more interesting than the truth! They will spread a rumor…because stories love audiences.
People Like People Who Agree
They will, in general, like only the people who agree with them. They may tell you that they love and support you, but their actions don’t agree with their words.
It is important to know this going in, so you won’t be caught off guard. How can you prepare for these inevitable life passages?
The Survival Pack
- Expect people to be people
- Walking in your faith (whatever it may be). To do this:
- You must secure yourself in what you believe and practice without need of validation
- Learn to encourage yourself with no expectation of encouragement by others or life’s circumstances.
- What does upliftment say? The media normally focuses on the darkness, focus on the light.
- You must learn to stand on your own two feet, even if you have to put your back against the wall to do it. Your blessings come from God, not from other people. Looking for the world or people to make it right for you is giving your power to others. People are fallible, God is the only constant.
- Own your 90% of any circumstance. You can’t afford to be bitter, only better. Never allow others to have control of your emotions.
Conclusion
Much of what has been written in this blog I credit directly to the wisdom of Carl Stubbs, a great Civic Servant, and a pastor.
If you going in expecting people to be Gods, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. The Life & People Merit badge comes from recognizing that people will be people and developing the survival pack.
