“You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.”
—Pearl S. Buck
Feelings are strange creatures. Unpredictable, uncontrollable, and often, undeniably strong. You can’t command your heart to love broccoli if it adores chocolate, right?
But, here’s the crux of it. While you may not hold the reins of your feelings, you do control your actions. Your emotions aren’t your puppet master, dictating each step. Feel frustrated at a complex problem? You can still choose to buckle down, brainstorm, and find a solution. Scared of public speaking? You can still climb that stage and share your story.
It’s a paradox, but a powerful one. You can’t force feelings, but you can override them with actions. And often, it’s these actions, the ones taken in spite of contrary feelings, that define us. They take us from where we are to where we want to be. They are the signposts on our journey to becoming better versions of ourselves. Don’t let feelings fool you; doing the right thing doesn’t always need to feel right. Sometimes, it just needs to be done.