Everyone is on their own journey
14 May 2015
I’ve always tried to follow the maxim: “don’t judge a book by the cover.”
In other words, don’t judge people by their appearance or your first visual impression of them.
As you can imagine, I come across all sorts of people in my daily life; some acquaintances, some friends but, mainly, clients. Of course, it’s not for me to ask details of my clients’ personal circumstances or why they choose to use my services although, more often than not, once they get to know me, many of my clients confide in me.
I get to hear about their joys and triumphs; their hopes and wishes; their sadness and despair; their good times and bad times. It’s a job in which I always follow a very strict code of confidentiality, with all my clients, as some of the things I hear or am told are really quite… well, they’d make even my liberal auntie blush!
I am no longer surprised by what I do hear or see. I am no longer shocked at some of the misfortunes I am told about. Fortunately, I have never been judgemental.
I believe that everyone is on their own journey through this adventure we call life and that, whilst sometimes the bad time or misadventures I hear about are of the person’s own making, many times it seems as if it has been pre-ordained; almost as if the bad luck or challenging situation has been sent to test that person.
In my view, respect and tolerance is due to all people as, unless you are actually them, you do not really know what they have been through, what they are currently going through. It takes a strong mind to deal with life’s daily pressures and the multi-faceted problems which arrive to be dealt with – and unfortunately, some people, many of us in fact, simply don’t have the capacity to handle all of the crises they are faced with.
I do my best to help, and I believe my clients know that, but, as I have said in earlier blogs, I am not (yet) a qualified counsellor or medical practitioner.
Still, it does give me immense joy to see how many of my clients do recover some of their self confidence or self esteem after being with me for a few times. I know I make a positive difference to their lives, and this is reward enough for me!
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
– Ernest Hemingway
