Being stubborn runs in my family (I like to think I’m the least stubborn though, heehee). Apparently it’s not a trait shared by everyone in the normal world and it’s not always a good one to have.

I am a bit slow with learning this lesson…okay I haven’t learnt much at all. It took three years for me to admit that I may have a breathing problem which was solved very easily after a visit to the doctor. The upside was one round of antibiotics did the trick; the downside is because I took so long to get it sorted I still have a blocked ear. That should have taught me something, right? Nope.

A few months later…

An episode on a train followed a month later by three days of being ill. Doctor? No. Stubborn? Yes.

With stubbornness, comes pretense. The day goes by as if everything is the same; work; gym; home and only every now and then is the slight admittance to the pain. Refusal to visit the doctor – it will go away eventually, right. And in the same way this is what happens in other areas of life. We stay stubborn even when we know that being amenable can fix a situation or take away pain. Our excuse? We don’t want to seem weak; our egos won’t allow it. But the problem is that it’s self-destructive and we miss out on good things.

Hopefully the next time I’m ill I go to the doctor (this isn’t a promise so no, I cannot be held to it) and hopefully the next time I’m stubborn it’s for a good cause that’s bigger than my ego.