listen up and/or shut up.

i'd like to believe that long before i turned into a mature adult, i am invincible. that i am headstrong and self-assured. that i don't mind anybody's opinion about me. that whatever people say do not hurt nor affect me. sure, it elates me to hear compliments. i flinch a little on every bad comment. but whether they approve the way i set my plans or not is none of my business.

i'm not saying it's good. i'm saying this is how i live my life. 

i believe firmly that everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt, and that though we have all the right in the world to create impressions, good or bad, we will never earn the right to judge. 

every single one has a unique story. our brains don't work the same way. we plan and operate differently. we have different strategies. and even if you're a friend or a family, you don't know what the other is going through exactly. you'll never know the real score until you walk a mile in his or her shoes. and it's never gonna happen. you'll be stuck to your own shoes as much as i'll be stuck to mine. you don't even have to understand. no. you don't need to attempt to.

let people plan and make mistakes. let them learn from personal experiences. or at least find out what works for them. if they ask for advice, give them. if they need you to listen, listen. if they should be left alone, by all means leave them. 

importantly, keep your criticisms, especially the destructive ones, to yourself. save one heart from breaking.