Cheerleading
I wish everyone was a cheerleader. No, I’m not referring to the sport but hey if you’re a cheerleader and you’re loving it, KEEP GOING. That’s what I mean - I’m thinking of cheerleading as the act of someone consistently rooting for another’s success and happiness even when they actively disagree with their meaning of success and happiness. I’ll use myself as an example - Personally I don’t think cheerleading is a great profession for others to spend their time and energy on but here’s why my opinion doesn’t matter at all:
Who am I to question/judge another’s profession?
Who am I to question what might make someone else happy and energized in life?
Here’s a more extreme example. What would you say about someone who spends ~6 hours a day on the couch watching Netflix every single day before going to bed? Think about your immediate reaction. “That’s someone I definitely wouldn’t be friends with.” “Sounds like a loser.” “Who actually wants to do that?” I would have originally thought those things too… but why? Do we gain any enjoyment out of thinking those things? Is it energizing to judge others? When I’ve caught myself doing this, it’s almost always because of one thing - I could not for the life of me understand why another person would be doing something that doesn’t make sense to me.
Isn’t that sad?
Just because something didn’t make sense to me, my immediate reaction was originally to judge and talk poorly about someone rather than 1. try to understand and 2. be a cheerleader regardless of not fully agreeing with the way others live their lives. And you know what’s even crazier… in my experience I’ve noticed myself and many others being the anti-cheerleader among friends and family. The people that love and care for you more than anyone else. How absolutely batshit crazy is that?
Here’s the perspective shift - Judging others on how they live their lives regardless of the context I may or may not have isn’t fun, a bad characteristic to have, and is a complete waste of time. I want to be more like a cheerleader. Energizing others, rooting for their success, and helping them along the way.
To those who find happiness and fulfillment in doing the things others don’t understand… Keep. Going.
Matt