What would happen if we took our advice?

Writing is beautiful, writing is liberating, and through writing, we find beauty and uniqueness in the ordinary, and significance in the seemingly insignificant. Through this artful expression, one can also find a release for the build-up of pain, joy, sorrow, and inspiration that grows inside.

Worlds are brought into existence through words on a page, and each of us brings our voice to the narrative. When we read the words of another, we see the world through their perspective, and we catch a glimpse into the world in which they live. We will read stories written from a place of security and confidence, and other times the words will have made their way onto the page through a process of pain or desperation.

In my world, I share what I’ve learned as well as what I am currently learning in life. Themes of mindfulness, courage, overcoming fear, embracing empathy, fighting apathy, taking a risk, finding solitude, and overcoming depression flow through my writing because I want to help others learn from my experiences. Yet depression finds me, fear overtakes me, and loneliness takes the place of solitude despite the words I have written.

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I was having coffee with a friend the other day, and this idea of taking our advice came up, and I said, “What if I lived like my blog told me to?” We laughed at that idea, like it should be on a bracelet or something: W.W.M.B.D What would my blog do. It made me wonder how many self-improvement writers are out there who suffer from the very woes that they deliver healing advice on.

The human experience is a shared experience, therefore, I am never alone in my questions or struggles. In that belief, I wanted to share three action items for self-reflection.

1. Read what you have written

This idea applies to anything that you have written: blogs, journal entries, poems, songs, or books. Through reading through my older blogs, I have been taken back to moments of deep reflection, trauma, and inspiration. Themes of mindfulness, contentment, intentionality, meaning, and hope flow through the pages as the foundational elements of healing. By reading these again, I can weigh the value of the advice I had shared, which leads to the next point.

2. Evaluate what you have written

Do I still believe that meditation can help fight restlessness? Do I still believe that mindfulness is integral to happiness? Is facing fear part of just about every situation we face?

At times, we may have given bad advice or just misinformed advice, or we found out that the advice doesn’t give lasting results. Other times we may have shared just a temporary solution to survive a moment though it may not always be applicable.

This practice of self-evaluation is beneficial for the following reasons:

• It ensures that we are relaying good information.
• It reveals if we are taking due diligence before we share our thoughts with the world.

The ideal discovery is that we already possess the tools needed to overcome obstacles, and in that awareness, we find motivation and encouragement.

3. Put the good into action

Finally, once we have filtered the good from the bad, and the true from the false, then we take action in our own lives. Take our advice. In my case, that means facing my fears, practicing mindfulness, and being intentional about my days.

Through living a life of love, we seek to help others find fulfillment and success. For this servanthood to continue though, we must love ourselves as well.

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In Peter Jackson’s Return of the King, There is a scene where Aragorn expresses this very problem:

Elrond: I give hope to men
Aragorn: I keep none for myself

Aragorn’s entire story is arc is based on the hope that he brings to Middle Earth. He is the one who unites, encourages, and gives the hopeful endearments and speeches, yet in this scene, we see the frailty of his journey when he fails to believe in the hope that he brings to others. So take heart, even the King of Middle earth can benefit from self-evaluation.

Therefore, in your efforts to help others find meaning, hope, and fulfillment in life, do not forget to save some for yourself.