I did. I HATED them.
The way they exposed my hairy feet…
The way people would wear them with jeans…
Even the annoying sound they made when you walked!
Needless to say I had A LOT of judgment around flip flops and people who wore them.
When I would wear them I felt self-conscious, naked even. I had made up my mind that flip flops were stupid and didn’t have much use in my life.
This all changed about 9 months ago when I moved a block from the beach. Not only did I start to wear my flip flops daily (before this I had only worn them less than 15 times in the 7 years I lived in San Diego), but I actually bought 2 new pair of them! I found myself wearing them more and more, and not to the beach, but EVERYWHERE. Once I got over the judgement of how they looked and how they sounded, I began to realize that they. were. awesome.
They coddled my feet, let them breathe, and were so easy to flick on and off at a moments notice!
The point is this: We all judge things from time to time, and you never know what you’re missing out on until you give it a fair, unbiased shot!
So where are YOU judging things in your life?
How can your life be even better by letting go of those judgements and trying new experiences?
When will you let go of the need to be right?
And what else is possible?!
I loved your article! Not to judge is difficult and I try hard not to judge mainly because once I judge I know that one day I will walk in their shoes (which may be horrible shoes to walk in) and have that ‘oh, now I get it moment’. Judging is almost like a lack of understanding. Maybe if we were in their shoes we would do the same as them. If you find yourself judging you should at least attempt to understand why they do what they do. What is the logic? Judging others could also speak to our own subconscious insecurities. If you judge you should ask yourself ‘why does this bother me?’. They are not the one with the problem, technically it’s me. Why do I care so much? Why am I choosing negativity?
With that said, there is a reason we judge and I’m sure it’s to help at times and keep us safe. There are times where it can be beneficial, such as looking down a dark creepy alley and judging it not to be safe and to take an alternate route instead. The same goes for people too. A creepy man could be walking your way and you judge him to be bad. Maybe you are wrong and he is the sweetest guy and wants to share his pizza with you or maybe he wants to rob/kill you. If you chose to avoid him you stay alive but if you decide maybe he is a nice guy and you were wrong he will harm you.
So if you judge I guess the best thing to do is to check in with yourself and ask ‘why do I feel this way?’ ‘How does this judgement benefit me?’
Thanks Carolyn!
Judgement is one of those things we ALL deal with 🙂
You are definitely right; sometimes we need to make quick judgements for our survival. With that said, it is not very often in our world that we are faced with life threatening decisions. Our primal brain will always attempt to take over and keep us safe, but usually there is no real danger!
The question you posed at the end “How does this judgement benefit me” is a great question to ask. Checking in and seeing WHY you feel a certain way is a great way to see how valid the initial reaction is. If there is a car barreling towards you, jump out of the way; if it is the majority of the other judgements we have every day, check in, see how it serves you (or doesn’t serve you) and then take action accordingly.
This conscious pause is what separates us from other animals in our world! We have CHOICE in how we act. Making a conscious choice with your intuition as your filter will serve you well. Thanks for reading Carolyn!