Feb 27, 20222 min read

#2 The man in the glass

Updated: Feb 28

This has to be one of my favourite poems because it touches on such an important aspect of life…

The Weight of Social Pressures

From when we come into this world to when we leave, every day we confront social pressures whether it’s from our parents, teachers, friends or employers, all of whom will at some point try to directly or indirectly influence the way we think or decisions we make throughout our lives – so much more now with the presence of social media.

This poem is all about not losing yourself along the way and when it is all said and done, ensuring you have lived the life that you wanted and not sold yourself short to satisfy other people’s expectations of you.

Listening to your Inner Voice

I think something we all struggle with is knowing exactly what it is that we want to do or how we want to spend our lives.

Speaking to my friends, I find that many of us are in the same boat, and not surprisingly because this is an extremely difficult question to answer in your 20s. It's comforting to know that we don’t need to have all the answers, what is important is that we never stop looking for them. Sometimes the answer finds you but I’m a firm believer that you’ll never know if you don’t ask yourself the question. As long as we give energy to these thoughts and set time aside to answer these fundamental questions a breakthrough is inevitable.

We all have the inner voice that communicates with us. It tells us when we’re not enjoying things and what our secret pleasures are. A friend once told me not to make a habit out of ignoring our inner voice because the less you listen the quieter it becomes.

1%

You won’t find what you’re not looking for. Start by putting 1% of your free time aside each week to explore your interests, hobbies and curiosities. As the weeks go by I have no doubt that 1% will turn to 2% and before you know it you’ll be booking weekend expeditions.

Go after what you want and make sure when that day comes you’re looking back through the glass smiling.

Have a great week & we’ll catch up soon.

Taz