Finding What Suits You

One size does not fit all                                 Image adapted from Pixabay

There are so many ideas about how you should run your life. All around there are articles on how to be happy, what your priorities should be and how to make the best use of your time.

Some of the information and theories contradict each other. There are ideas that just don’t fit with my personality. I talk to friends and we have different ideas about the best recipe for life.

In the end I think the best approach is probably to take on board the points that fit with the person you are today and your current circumstances. These points may not all come from the same source.

I like to read and listen to ideas about self-development and living life to the full. There is interesting information about research that has been done. 

At times I find the sheer amount of information and range of opinions confusing. Then I remember we are all individuals and so what suits one person just can’t suit everyone. In reality there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’. Perhaps many different ideas need to be put forward so people have plenty of options.

I think it is important to know yourself and follow advice that fits with who you are and your current circumstances. Sometimes this seems difficult when friends, work mates and family advise or even pressure you to act differently. However, they won’t know everything that is part of your life and how it effects your decisions. Based on their own personality and beliefs they may express genuine concern about your choices. Perhaps even you have to stop and ask yourself, ‘Who am I really?’

Carl Jung said, ‘The shoe that fits one person pinches another, there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.’ This shoe analogy is a thought provoking one. I have large feet, especially in regard to width. I just love the look of gorgeous high heel shoes but have never been able to find a pair that fit me properly and I certainly can’t walk in heels. This was the case even when I was young. I look at cute ballet flats and know they won’t suit my feet. Sigh.

I often catch public transport and that involves walking from the train or bus stop to my destination. My lifestyle dictates that I wear practical shoes, even though they may lack style. Anyway, I have no patience with being uncomfortable.

With increasing age my feet have changed and I now need shoes that can accommodate orthotics. Perhaps this means a recipe for living that might have suited me when I was twenty wouldn’t suit me now. Some aspects of it might, but not the whole thing.

Whether it is a shoe or a ‘recipe for living’ it must not pinch. It may fit another person but not you and the shoe that fits you will not be right for someone else. Sometimes it takes a long time to find a shoe that fits properly and it can take considerable time to discover that recipe for living which truly suits you. It’s worth the time to get it right.