'Shut up' is generally bad advice
I've lost my way some years ago when, many times, I chose not to do what I really wanted and instead followed what other people belive was the right way. And I did this so often that it became almost automatic. I didn't relised it then, but I was reproducing the way I interpreted my mom's behavior. She always made decisions based on previous experiences - if something had worked for somebody else, she would consider trying it. For a long time I wasn't able to try something new, to take risks, to give myself a chance, I was too busy seeking others people's opion, their path, their "right way". I truly believed in the ideia of something being absolute right or absolute wrong. When I finally dicovered that everything is relative, I broke. My world turned upside down and I couldn't even brush my teeth without think about it. How many opportunites did lose cause I wasn't able to follow my instincts? How many opportunites did I lose cause I let someone e...