Haiku

Problems Evaporate by Realizing I’m the Problem

Sometimes I do need a reminder

the pressure is on

doing what they want me to

turn my head around

Sometimes I think like I used to. As a teenager I continuously questioned myself. Do people like me? Am I doing it right? What will they think? After over forty years of walking the earth you would have thought I shed my insecurities and follow my own path.

This haiku reflects the reason why I sometimes revert to a younger version of myself. I feel pressure. I think I need to please others.

I have learned to turn my head the other way. Both mentally as well as physically. There are no “they”. “They” exist in only in my mind. External validation is no validation. It’s relief to a non-existent problem.

I will always gladly listen to people’s advice. I am more than happy to please other people. But in the end, I know my heart knows what’s best for me.

This is my response to Fridays prompt in KTHT, The need for external validation dissipates. Just a short little haiku to remind myself I should not be stressed about the opinion of other people. Yes, I need them. But if I am insecure, I should ask them directly. The voices in my head will always make it worse. What if I can’t find ‘them’? Then I created my own little problem. This sheer realization is not even a solution. The problem evaporates on its own. What if ‘they’ are there? Looking a problem right into the eyes is actually easier than you think.