President Lincoln’s quote, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time,”  has been altered over time.  We use this same quote but substitute ”pleasing people” for “fooling people,”  maybe that’s because the person who continues to try to please everyone is a fool.

Failed expectations is one of three primary areas of breakdowns in relationships.  (The others are thwarted intentions and undelivered communications), according to Landmark Education’s courses that I took about 25 years ago.  Since then I’ve certainly had enough life experiences to prove these correct and to remain committed to nurturing quality relationships.

With that kind of commitment, I know I will also have to address less empowering relationships from time to time and learn ways to not lose my step in the face of any negative reactions from others.  

In putting together my local women’s singing and network group for women (L.A. Choralettes), I had 15 spots to fill.   I was chastized for narrowing the age field and one woman told me I was ”discriminating” and “soulless” because the group was only for mid-life women.  While I tried to explain my sandbox is only so big and I chose to narrow the applicants to women in my own age group, some women understood and some did not. 

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