"The words of truth are always paradoxical” Lao Tzu, Taoist Philosopher, 6th century BC.
I attended a Christening this weekend and had the pleasure of catching up with a few friends. We got talking about ‘this and that’ and one friend started asking me about how you make yourself more confident. This could have been a very lengthy topic and one which would necessarily demand greater exploration so I thought hard and answered simply “start by accepting who you are and accepting that you’re already enough”. I left it at that, counted to ten and watched the puzzled look appear on her face. She expected me to give her a shopping list of things to start doing or stop doing and like so many people she struggled with the paradox between accepting who she was before she could change. I went on to explain that in what ever guise lack of confidence appears at it’s heart is a permission you give to others to judge you as a human being; a need to be accepted by others before you can accept yourself; a need for others to make you okay.
My work is littered with many self-contradictory instances, or paradoxes, and I never cease to be amazed just how wise the words of Lao Tzu really are. So the next time you're searching for the 'truth' about yourself or others abandon that which may seem logical and explore instead the senseless, contradictory and absurd.
