To Know, and to Be True...

This line popped into my head yesterday, during a somewhat confounding conversation, and it's pretty much a touchstone, a bit of a guiding principle that I try to stick to for pretty much everything: "If you want to do it, just do it. If you don't want to do it, don't do it."

I know, maybe not the most profound sentence ever constructed, but it's a thought that rings true, and has worked for me over the years. The trick is to "know thyself," and to be true to that knowledge. I find that my worst decisions, the most unfortunate adventures were when I was influenced by other folks thoughts, wishes, dreams.

Doing anything to please others, or from some misguided sense of guilt, is just the worst way forward. Trying to read other people's minds, wishes, intentions, is a fool's errand. Stick to what you know, for instance, try your best to know who you are, be true to yourself, let those be the guide-rails of your actions. At the same time, know that there is so much you don't know about yourself and the world. Whatever you do know is limited and up for revision at a moment's notice. Still, the basic insight: know yourself, and to be true to yourself, and be honest and true to others too. Really. It's a good starting point.