Keys to Success Series, this article discusses the obstacles to change and how to overcome those obstacles under duress.
Evoking Change in Adversity
Life has a way of pressing people down and locking them into a pattern of behavior that makes it impossible to win. They are pushing too hard, trying to break even to focus on any goal. As a result, they become too weak, busy, and numb to make changes. They feel forced to keep things going the way they are. It is hard to improve anything when it’s all you can do to keep functioning. (You can’t repair your automobile while traveling at 80 mph.)
You are never in a hurry to check the road map.
Another point about going eighty miles an hour down the road non-stop is that you might run out of gas. Burnout comes to the best of us. Take a break to re-energize. Check the roadmap. Think about where you are going. When we are in a hurry, we waste time going in the wrong direction or have traffic accidents. We need to calm down and reflect.
Those who live life frantic to achieve their goals have their rewards. Well-placed ambition has its merits; however, you are headed for disaster if you get too desperate. It is good to pace yourself and take a little time to smell the flowers once in a while. Also, the more you do, the more you need to plan carefully. Avoid frantic and repetitive actions; try to find a better way.
Often attitude can make all the difference between calm success and a frantic nightmare of jumbled actions that could have been done more efficiently and with less effort. Taking the time to do a little inventory may be just what you need. Perhaps you are spinning your wheels a bit. Take stock of your life. See if you can order your life in a new and creative way. Removing the drama, fear, and pain will give you more time for productive and benevolent pursuits.
Learn to ignore nonproductive criticism
Discouragement often comes from those we love most. Whenever a great idea is discussed, someone is there to point out how impossible it is. How simple it is for them to condemn people who want to innovate. It is easy for them to sit back and laugh at others who are trying while resting on their laurels.
A difficult task to do when trying to change is to ignore the naysayer. There will be many in life. One must rise above the crowd to reach one’s potential. Ask yourself when someone criticizes you for your goals, what their goals are and how they have accomplished them. If someone is an expert in your field and has many accomplishments, perhaps you should hear them out. Maybe they will have suggestions and constructive criticism, but don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Keep trying. Until then, keep going. Don’t let the voices of those who don’t believe stop you. Go for it. Learning to ignore negativity is a learned skill. It takes knowledge and practice. We will learn more about this in the following courses.
Most importantly, you can become victorious over your inner bullies, the ultimate naysayers. More than anyone, your inner bullies know your weak points. They will be so shocked when your weak points aren’t there to pick anymore. Once you remove the pain from your past and realize that the old you don’t exist anymore and that you are a new creature moment by moment, they can’t hold you down anymore. It will work on human naysayers too.
