It’s easier said than done – you’ve probably heard this expression a lot. And in reality it is the truth: it is indeed so simple to give advice to others, to criticize them, tell how they should live and solve their problems. But when it comes to us, things suddenly take a wrong turn. The same situation that seemed so unproblematic before, becomes complicated out of the blue. Or maybe the situation stays the same and it’s us and our attitude that’s changed?

Here’s an example that came to my mind. When of my friends graduated and didn’t start working straight away, lots of her relatives and friends were constantly judging and criticizing her. I, on the other hand, kept supporting her, telling that she should listen to her heart and act how she wants and not care about others. But guess what, when I ended up in the same situation a couple of years later, I couldn’t do what I was rooting for my friend so hard. And instead of enjoying my gap year that I decided to take I wasted it on being constantly worried about others’ opinions. Ironic, isn’t it?

But that’s how it is. There’s another example, a shorter one. If you have been here for a while, you know that I love giving tips and advice on different spheres of life. It may even seem that I am this wise person who knows how to handle any situation. However, the reality is quite different. Sure, I know these things and I truly believe in what I write, as it’s something I’d advise to my closest people if they told me about their problems. But here’s “the shocking truth”: I don’t always do as I write. Why? The reason lies in the title of this post. That makes me wonder. Does it make me a liar or a hypocrite? Writing an article about, for instance, being self-confident, yet still feeling insecure every now and then and not knowing how to get rid of that feeling. Writing about the importance of being positive, yet letting the negative thoughts and emotions take over.

Well, I guess that’s not up to me to judge. There’s a famous quote that says “the shoemaker’s children always go barefoot”. So, I reckon this is a quite common situation. But why, having all the necessary knowledge of solving a problem, achieving the desirable or getting rid of the undesirable, making our lives better, we are often unable to do so? It’s like knowing a great recipe, having all the ingredients at home, but still not cooking the meal and staying hungry. Or eating some random snacks instead.

Why is this so? Sadly, I don’t have any answers, only some theories. Maybe our brains need to hear those same words we already know from someone else, because somehow we subconsciously consider others smarter, more experienced, with a better authority than ourselves. That’s why sometimes when you hear even the most simple words from someone else, it becomes a far better motivation or a kick in the backside than our own long and wise monologues in our mind. There’s another version, that says that universe gives you the exact situation that you used to criticize to see how you’re going to handle it yourself. As it turns out, most people are in fact hypocrites who can only talk smart words but not turn theory into practice. Or, maybe we simply were all born as coaches, who, as it is well-known, don’t play.

I wish I had far better answers to give, but I don’t. So, this article can add up to the “pointless” ones that have no strong ending. Just a topic to ponder on. But I think there is at least one conclusion we can make: don’t criticize others, cause you never know how you’d act in their shoes. Yes, right now you think that you’d never do that and you’d do the right thing, but believe me, when something similar happens to you, you most probably will struggle and act not the way you used to say. So, don’t tempt the universe to test you. Be kinder to people, try to accept and understand them, even if you have other opinions.