“Take your ‘should’…”

“Take your ‘should’- and SHOVE IT”

– My friend Petro.

I love truthful and moving quotes, heck I even have a page of them. Better yet, I love when they come from those in my life that I admire, like this gal Petro. A kindred spirit, an incredibly strong and vivacious woman, a ‘take no nonsense’ and love yourself guru, this lady is a fantastic soul.

This is why when hearing her wise words, I laughed, because of how it fit into her story, but then sat humbled by her brilliance.

Petro and I were having one of our great phone calls that occurs every few weeks. In both mentioning the frustrations of others’ advice on things they know nothing of, or of people’s meddling in our lives, she jumped out with, “I really want to say to people- “Take your ‘should’- and SHOVE IT”! She continued, saying, “The problem with that word is it means you are most likely looking at something you didn’t do. And whose standards are those based on?  It’s a way to feel guilty- and that is not motivating!”.

Sometimes, we need the brutal honesty of such words. It doesn’t mean there isn’t good advice out there or points to consider. Rather, it means that conforming to the norms is not something that I should do.

So, friends, take those shoulds, and put them down. In creating the life you want, nobody’s shoulds are required.