David Andrew Wiebe

Weekly Digest: May 22, 2021

by David Andrew Wiebe | May 22, 2021 | News

You can’t please everyone.

As artists, we tend to be empathetic and sensitive to the needs of others. We try to make sure everyone around us is okay before we even worry about how we might be doing.

But no matter how much you wish your kind gestures were acknowledged, your goodwill reciprocated, your generosity received, there will always be those with a forked tongue ready to cut you down to size.

You will be quick to blame yourself, of course. Wonder what you did wrong. Wonder what you could have done better. And you might keep turning those thoughts over in your head until you feel a sense of relief. It’s painful, and often fruitless, as our offenders quickly forget what has already been resolved in their minds.

You don’t know what’s going on in their world or the kind of day they’ve had. You haven’t the faintest clue how they interpreted your words or how they made them feel.

The thing is, you’re doing the best you can, especially considering the constraints you’ve lived with your whole life. It’s not as though people take the time to understand before they accuse you of wrongdoing. They just go right ahead and lay into you with their resentment and insecurities.

It can be tough, but I’m not here to offer strategies and tactics on how to navigate this minefield. Honestly, you should just keep being who you are, regardless of what anyone says. The offense lies with the person who felt it, not with you.

But it is important to realize that you don’t always need to be so selfless. You can’t give out of scarcity – you can only give out of overflow. Whenever you feel tempted to try to please everyone, ask yourself, “am I overflowing with gifts to give?”

Relationships, in any dimension, aren’t always easy. Some of your greatest disappointments, sadly, will come through those you know, like, and trust most. What matters most is that you carry on. You can achieve at the level you desire and make your vision a reality with or without them. You need to be that strong.

With that, here’s what I created for you this week:

David Andrew Wiebe

I publish daily to inspire creatives and creators just like you.

Here are the posts that went live this week:

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The Indie YYC

The Indie YYC is a creative community dedicated to inspiring local artists in pursuit of independent creativity, independent thought, and independent life.

I host a weekly series called Creative Entrepreneur where I share weekly podcast content to help you find new inspirations and pathways to achieve more creative and practical independence.

Here’s what went live this week: