How to do it right?
“Do it right” – that’s what my mom used to say to me when she gave me a task. The problem was that, apart from this one sentence, she wouldn’t give me any other instructions, and her assessment of whether the result was “right” was completely arbitrary. In reality, this sentence meant “Do it in a way I’ll like” or “Do it in a way that will make me happy”. What’s more, usually it was uttered in a tone suggestive of irritation and impatience, as though my very asking for guidelines was proof of my incompetence. In effect, I felt completely paralyzed. Like every child hungry for love and acceptance, I above all wanted her approval. At the same time, I had absolutely no idea how to get it. How can I “do it right”? What decisions and actions should I take? How can I carry this out? And how should the end result be presented to her? I felt overwhelmed by a combination of responsibility and helplessness. I’m responsible for the final result and mom, like Cesar at the Coliseum, will either poi...