Why Can't You Just Be Like Me

As a recovering alcoholic, it’s important to understand what I can and can’t control. One thing that keeps tripping me up over the years is people and how they think and act. “Why can’t they just…” is a common internal dialogue I wish I could forever squash. Unfortunately, I have no secret that’ll remove such thoughts from my ever-thinking brain. So far, my go-to, albeit not best, remedy is to try to empathize with the made up they that my brain envisions when these types of intrusive thoughts rear their ugly head.

“They have different…

• upbringings
• environment
• news and information sources
• priorities … Etc.

That’s all fine and dandy. What I really need to practice, if I truly want to practice bettering myself, is to do some self reflection when I have those intrusive thoughts of “why can they just…” Who am I to to say my way is better? Who am I to say I’m right and they’re wrong? It’s a big, terrible tasting pill to swallow to self reflect like that and it needs to be done. This nasty yet effective medicine, I need to take.

Maybe I’m wrong and maybe some of my beliefs and ideas are wrong. And that’s okay. Tough to admit, but good too, to come to realize that some ideas which I may have held close for a long time could and should be changed, modified, evolved. That’s part of growth. Ruminating on shortcomings with my own beliefs and ideas is also a great distraction from “why can’t they” because it changes my internal monologue to “maybe I should just…”

I just wish it was easier.