Today, we will delve into some concepts that can be challenging to explain, but are certainly worth understanding. I personally like to think of each point as a guiding marker in my quest to live a fulfilling life.

There's a difference between our personal enjoyment of something and whether or not that something is good. In simpler terms, just because we believe we like something doesn't mean that something is good. And vice versa. Guilty pleasures are an accurate term for the former, for we know that engaging with such things is an indulgence.

The desired conclusion isn't to accept that we like bad things — the ideal scenario is to use that knowledge to steer clear of the easy-to-enjoy but non-beneficial things.

Just because we are critical of something, doesn't mean our emotions are getting in the way of rationality. This is a point that often gets used against those who don’t follow the Western ideology party line and can be extremely frustrating. Of course, that doesn't mean they never are — see the last point. But if we have reasons beyond our own feelings and personal experiences to back them up, they're probably not.

If combine these last two points, we come to a concept that is extremely difficult for many to overcome and that is removing personal experience from objective thought or truth. It’s a real problem in Western society that encourages individuals to form their opinions and concept of reality based on their personal experiences and feelings. This comes in many forms and allows both propaganda to flourish and some of the most horrific ideologies to exist.

Passionately believing in something and fighting for it is a wonderful thing to have in life. A fervent belief in something, enough to get fired up when discussing specific points of view or problems, gets a bad rap — often derided as overly emotional and illogical or even considered cult-like behaviour. That's because this air of civility gets propped up on a pedestal where the person who only ever speaks calmly is perceived as the more intelligent person, but it's complete nonsense.

People can say things that have implications beyond what they intended. I'm not referring to when someone throws an insult out of frustration and wishes they hadn't. Instead that it's easy to get fixated on the intended message that anything tangential to it which can seem inconsequential or made up. But our words can end up with logical conclusions we hadn't thought of before. Pointing that out (or having that pointed out for us) is a great way to delve more deeply into thoughts and beliefs and reach new conclusions or correct oversights.

Criticism isn't a permanent black mark on one's being. Life is full of contradictions, and every wrong step is an opportunity to learn and improve. That isn't to say we should intentionally set out to make mistakes but rather replace beating ourselves up with consciously choosing to learn from them.

Trying to please everyone doesn't make someone a good person. Understandably, wanting to be on good terms at all times with everyone comes from a place of insecurity. But it is a formidable trap to dig oneself out of and not an ideal place to be because it tends to make us put more effort into the wrong kinds of people in our lives whilst neglecting those who genuinely care about us.

We don't have to like everything about each other to care about each other. It is frustrating speaking to people pleasers who are friendly to your face but are likely holding back any negative things they think about you, as it often feels like you never really know where you stand with them. It's sad because their motivation is usually based on wanting others to treat them the same way, revealing layers of insecurity they have yet to overcome.

But what we can do other than not take their defensiveness personally is continue being there for them, hoping they'll eventually go through the experiences in life necessary to help them grow and become more confident and comfortable as themselves.

We can guide others but can't walk their paths for them. Often, we feel compelled to protect others from our mistakes for a good reason: why would we ever want others to go through our previous hardships? But it can be easy to become frustrated when another doesn't understand the problem we're trying to save them from or realise how it could affect them.

I don't suggest we give up on helping and guiding other people — it is beautiful and highly fulfilling. But take a step back and accept their journey will ultimately be their own. If they didn't learn the lesson beforehand through us, it's not something to become frustrated over. We can walk them to the door, but it's up to them to open it and step through.