These are two thoughts from Mark Manson’s Posts “Your Next Breakthrough” TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO ASK YOURSELF Would you rather have attention than happiness? Does this explain any of the recurring problems within your life? ONE THING FOR YOU TO TRY THIS WEEK Give up the desire to be right, to be heard, to be appreciated. See what happens. You might be surprised.

The following spoke to me because it makes me feel good about myself to try to help someone else, but it sometimes really may be a way of avoiding the challenges in my own life.  This was from a reader who had a breakthrough from Mark’s challenges. “Taking responsibility is very important. But what about the hazard of taking responsibility for other people’s lives? To take responsibility for one’s own life is life-changing, whereas taking responsibility for another (adult’s) life could just be a distraction that we use to avoid the harder things in our own lives. Not only is it a distraction, but it can be damaging to that person. In fact, this is where “enabling” comes on—when you take responsibility for someone else’s problem to such an extent that you make it easier for them to keep committing the same mistakes. Allowing someone we care about to take responsibility for their own issues and mistakes can be incredibly difficult because it requires us to watch that person we love suffer. But by protecting that person from the suffering inherent in owning their mistakes, you rob them of the ability to learn, grow, and find meaning in them.”