When you judge others, you're burning your own fuel supply.

All judgments have an energetic cost—and they tend to keep you focused on others, circumstances outside your control.

Judgment pulls your focus from what matters most: what you can control.

Discernment and judgmentalism are different animals. We can discern and learn what's healthy and toxic in our social environments. But to indulge in judgment — to think less of others and slip into that us-vs-them mindset — is to waste energy on disunity rather than connection.

Each time we judge, we invest emotional energy—resentment, frustration, superiority—that could be fueling our own growth instead.

So what do we do with the frustration, confusion, or disapproval we inevitably feel?

The remedy to toxic judgment is curiosity and compassion. It’s human to feel confused or even disapproving when others behave in ways we don’t understand.

But instead of judging, we have an opportunity to ask: what shaped them? What might I not be seeing? That shift can soften the edges of judgment and open the door to understanding.

We don’t need to approve of others’ behavior — but getting stuck in cycles of judgment, instead of moving our own lives forward, is a mistake we can’t afford.

Remember: judgment has a price. Spend it wisely, or risk draining your reserves.

Save your energy for the life you're actually here to build.