yesterday. It’s a fine line between inconsistency and hypocrisy,
and the more clear we are about what we believe and why, the
easier it is to be consistent in what we think, say, and do.
For example, suppose your son points out that you criticize
him if he complains about classmates behind their backs, but
you were moaning about a colleague on the phone to your
mom last night. You may need to think about the difference
between complaining and having a much-needed moan, and
then make sure you’re consistent—with yourself as well as
your child—about what you allow.
And here’s another thing. It makes life easier for everybody
else if you are consistent. Erratic people are difficult to live
with and be around. So are moody people. If your friends and
family don’t know how you’ll react to the same event or sug-
gestion from one day to the next, you make them live their
lives on edge. Unless you are a hermit. I’m not talking about
being predictable and boring. Your ideas and activities and
enthusiasms can be wonderfully unpredictable and fascinat-
ing. It’s just your behavior toward other people that needs to
be reliable and consistent. You have the potential to make
people’s lives richer and easier and better—or darker and
trickier and more exhausting. Which do you choose?
THERE’S NO POINT IN
CHOOSING A PATH IF
YOU’RE JUST GOING TO
WANDER OFF IT AT WHIM.