Just because you don’t like hearing something doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

by Judy Klipin

How often have you consciously and willfully ignored the truth of something that you didn’t want to hear? I know I have – more times than I care to remember. Two (out of many) examples to illustrate what I mean:

Years ago I decided to buy a new car. Despite many people warning me that the make of car I had my eye on wasn’t such a good bet (they are very popular and so are often stolen in Johannesburg) my heart was set on it and I went ahead and bought it.

And I loved it. I loved driving it. I loved looking at it I loved everything about it. Unfortunately I was not the only one who felt so passionate about my car and after a mere three weeks of owning it, I came outside one evening to find that it was gone. Yup, my beautiful car that I had ignored every warning to own, was no longer mine.

A few years after that, I set my sights on a new relationship. I had a particular person in mind. This time around, it was my own body that was warning against making this particular investment.

I felt anxious and unsettled whenever I was with him. I couldn’t eat. I lost weight. I was miserable. Every time he indicated that he wasn’t really all that committed to the relationship I made excuses for him. I was so convinced that I wanted to be with him that I ignored all the warning bells I was ringing for myself.

Only when it – inevitably – ended badly, was I able to hear the truth that my body had been trying to tell me for months.

The funny thing was, the overwhelming emotion I experienced when the warnings came true in both of these examples was sheer relief. Relief that the waiting was over; what I feared had happened and I could get back on with my life.

I wish that I could say that I have never made the mistake of not listening to what I don’t like to hear ever again, but that would be a lie. It is true, however, that I am much better at hearing the truth – even when I don’t like it very much.

Because I have learned that it doesn’t matter if you are hearing the truth from someone else or from yourself – the important thing is to hear, to pay heed and to respond accordingly.

Even if you don’t like hearing it.

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