Sometimes people think they know you. They think they understand your motivation and values by observing what you do, but they never really take the time to talk with you and get to know you.
We can all be blamed for that from one time to another when we jump to conclusions about people without truly getting to know them from their point of view, motivation, passion, experience, and understanding.
That happened to me recently. Someone jumped to conclusions about me. They reached out to offer support and advice. Yet they were completely off base--their perception of who I am, what I do, and why I am doing it is not at all correct. They know very little about me and, in my opinion, misread most of my posts. I would think that perhaps it's due to the posts, but this is a single case situation.
This hasn't happened often to me. Typically people know me with greater depth than that or don't pay that much attention, but for some reason this individual has a need to right my course, tell me what to do, and offer advice that doesn't match who I am or where I am going--their inferences about my blog posts and my decisions are incorrect and their conjecture about me is off track too.
What's an individual to do?
I've read a lot about ideas and direction, paths and motivation, passion and truth, and I know that people sometimes take paths that don't make sense to others, but with good thought and reflection, those paths have an important direction and focus for the people who take those paths, and that it's best for people like that and like me to stay the course that they've created--a course based on deep conviction, clear vision, and important research and reflection.
Hence, for now I'll simply let that advice and conjecture exist without any real effort or response. In time, the truth will be known. I may at some point speak up as I observe this critic's continued and confusing interest in me. What I am experiencing as an annoyance and negativity is a small bump in the road, a bump that causes me to pause and consider, but not one that will interrupt the direction where I'm headed. Onward.
