ANGIE’S INSIGHT OF THE WEEK: I was chatting to a good friend of mine on Saturday and she said something very profound to me.
She had just restarted a particular diet – one that had worked on and off for her in the past – and was recently seeing some good results. I asked her what’s different this time that has made her more successful on the diet and her reply was “I don’t know… I just feel guilty if I’m not on some kind of diet”.
The truth of this statement totally hit me. I can totally relate to what she said. And it got me thinking how many of the things we do in our lives are driven by guilt. Guilt about not looking a certain way… or acting a certain way… or being a certain way.
I realised that I spend most of my time thinking about what I “should” be doing or saying. I “should” have gone for a run this morning. I “shouldn’t” have slept in this morning. I “should” go to that event because I’m expected to be there.
It’s exhausting.
And does doing things out of guilt make us better people? Does it help us… in the long run? I’m not so sure.
That’s why my insight for this week is to banish guilt from my life. I am going to be more mindful of actions I take as a result of feeling a sense of guilt or obligation, and either not do them anymore or find an alternate path.
Is guilt driving you to do or be a certain way? Are you exhausted by that? Do you want to be free from guilt? Try it with me and banish guilt from your life.
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About Angie:
Angeline Zaghloul is an expert in business strategy, client management and business processes, and is the Managing Director of Peer Business Consulting, a Sydney-based consultancy providing strategy and operations advice to startups and SMEs. Angeline also publishes a regular blog which provides research, advice and tips on key issues facing businesses.