People intentionally or unintentionally say or do things to discourage you. This is particularly potent when the discouragement comes from someone that we love and trust. For example, when you share your idea with a parent, and they tell you that you should think about doing something else instead, their words can influence your mind if you let them. Generally, discouragement comes from people who don’t believe that they could achieve what you are striving to achieve. They superimpose their own inner beliefs and insecurities about themselves onto others. It is at this point where we must learn to turn to all of our naysayers, doubters, and competitors and simply say “Move, get out of my way!”
Many people opt to keep their ideas, visions, and dreams a secret from others for fear of being discouraged, judged, condescended, belittled, criticized, and ridiculed. People can be cruel to others instead of uplifting and supporting them. This is why we must be very choosey in the company that we keep. Our closest friends, family, and colleagues must earn our respect, trust, and loyalty. Those that prove to value our authentic self unconditionally are the ones that we should hold close and spend time with. These supportive people will allow us to venture out and try anything we wish to try. They hope for the best and offer compassion in case of the worst. They are our biggest cheerleaders to success and offer a shoulder to cry on should we happen to fail. They motivate us to try again. They free us to be ourselves.
The company that we keep should not include naysayers, doubters, nor secret competitors. We sometimes have friends, family, and colleagues who secretly harbor negative feelings toward us. They may be envious, jealous, resentful, or spiteful. Those people emit negative energies to help us fail. They do not wish to see us succeed. They speak words that instill a sense of hesitation and doubt into us. We start to question our own idea, vision, and dream. Most importantly, we begin to question our abilities. Confidence is considered to be trust in one’s own abilities, qualities, and judgements. The negative people in our lives make us start to distrust ourselves. When we question our own abilities, qualities, and/or judgements, we allow ourselves to get derailed from our path. Don’t give anyone permission to take you off of your course. Simply tell them to “Move, get out of my way!”
There are times when we get in our own way. Our minds start to question whether we ourselves can accomplish what we had set out to accomplish. We allow our brain to speak negatively to us. It voices its concerns, fears, hesitations, doubts, and worries. This can fill us with uncertainty, insecurity, and lowers our confidence and trust within ourselves. Just as we would tell negative people to step aside, we must do the same with our own mind. When those doubtful and fearful thoughts pop into our head, we must simply acknowledge them, give them a wink, and say “Watch me do this!”
Trusting in ourselves is the key. We must trust that what we are seeking to achieve will either turn out to be successful or a learning experience to make us better for the next go around. Approaching something is way better than avoiding it. Always attempt! Grant yourself the benefit of the doubt. Glisten rays of optimism, to drown out the pessimism. Go for it!
So, the next time negative people (or your own negative self-talk) approach you with their pessimism, simply tell them “Move, get out of my way!” and proceed forward on your path. Empower yourself with permission. The permission to confidently stay on course (not get derailed), and to accomplish whatever feat you have set out to achieve. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, trust in your abilities, qualities, and judgements, and persevere through any and all setbacks. Push others out of your way if you must (without cheating), to get to your ultimate destination.