"They": Day 14 in the MOI

Have you ever acknowledged a nameless “they”? If you’ve ever made these statements or something similar, then you have:

• “Well, they don’t let us do that anymore.”
• “What would they think of this?!”
• “I can’t do this, because they need me to be here instead.”

Sometimes, the they that we refer to are people in our lives who depend on us, such as children or other family. And sometimes, they is a boss, a corporation, or organization. Sometimes, our they is God.

And sometimes, we refer to a they whom we don’t even know or have a name for.

How often do we stop and ask who it was we were doing something for – particularly, if it was causing us unhappiness or pain?

Who the h3ll are THEY?

For example: “They say that disciplined people are more successful.” But who are they who said this and how do they define success? Do they necessarily define success for me?

Once we recognize who they are, we learn to separate what they believe and what we believe, and how much of them we feel we own – or owe.

They usually aren’t a source of inspiration. But knowing who they are helps us recognize where our inspiration doesn’t come from, which is a step closer to knowing where your inspiration does come from.