Today is July 28 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you remind yourself that you are not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations?”
People who navigate the chaos understand that they are no in this world to live up to other people’s expectations.
Psychiatrist Fritz Perls was so concerned about this concept that he created The "Gestalt prayer" a 56-word statement that is taken as a classic expression of Gestalt therapy as way of life model of which Dr. Perls was a founder. The key idea of the statement is the focus on living in response to one's own needs, without projecting onto or taking introjects from others. It also expresses the idea that it is by fulfilling their own needs that people can help others do the same and create space for genuine contact; that is, when they "find each other, it's beautiful."
The full prayer reads “I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful. If not, it can't be helped.”
How often do you remind yourself that you are not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations?