Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.
Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker
Remember all that awesome stuff you were going to do?
Make time for it.
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To believe in yourself is to disconnect from need for positive feedback — or approval — from others as the justification and drive for whatever it is you wish to accomplish.
You have to have such a strong faith in yourself, your abilities, or your idea(s) that you are able to sustain the effort — and maintain the enthusiasm — necessary to succeed, even when you are inevitably presented with challenges along the way.
Others may question you. Doubt you. Reject you. In fact, studies show that anything that is considered new or different faces rejection and criticism — and is often ridiculed before it is accepted.
And this is when you often need to believe in yourself the most in order to overcome the irrationality of groupthink.
If you truly believe in what you’re doing — then you’re not doing it for others or what they think about it — you’re doing it because you believe in yourself and the value of what you have to offer.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You need to learn to be the source of your own strength and encouragement. Because if you don’t have a deep down belief in yourself and a confidence in your ability to overcome any obstacles along your path, why will anyone else?
It starts with you. And you can do it.
But you don’t need me to tell you that — because deep down, you already know it.
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Once upon a time, I used to post things and judge their value by likes and shares. And if something didn’t get many of either, I’d think, “Oh well.”
Then one day I posted something that barely made a blip. But instead of likes or shares, I received an email that said:
“Thank you. I really needed that today.”
And so it has happened in a similar fashion — via email or comments — a number of times since then.
And that’s how I discovered the real value in connecting with people. And it has much less to do with likes and shares than it does with creating meaningful moments in others’ lives, even if only one at a time.
With that in mind, let me offer two thoughts for your consideration:
1. You may never know who your actions, words, or creations inspire, but those who appreciate these things you offer to the world are out there, even if they are not always visible to you.
For every person who takes the time to acknowledge the value in what you have to offer, there will always be others who won’t. The lack of acknowledgement does not make what you offer any less valuable — especially if you already believe in and see the value in it (and it is important that you do).
2. Never hesitate to express thanks — or send a kind word — to those who touch you in a meaningful way — be it through their actions, words, or works of art.
Because you also never know how your own gratitude becomes the fuel that touches and inspires those who touch and inspire you.
…
If you’re reading this, you have my thanks. It is a pleasure to connect with you, whether we do it often — or make a show of it — or not.
THANK YOU.
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You may not always like what’s happening in your life, but nothing provides a person with as much potential appreciation for the high points in life as the lows.
Everything we experience in life helps provide us with the perspective necessary to better be able to handle whatever comes next.
When one learns to appreciate contrast in life and accepts challenges as learning experiences they begin to see the value in all life experiences, not just the “good” ones.
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Being kind without expectation is the truest kind of kindness.
When one learns to be kind selflessly and without expectation, they discover that the reward for an act of kindness is simply to have done it.
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Your diet, your health, your job, your career, your relationships…
If you have the power to change something that is holding you back, and you don’t, that’s a choice, not a limitation.
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Excerpt from:
Self-imposed limitations: A tough pill to swallow
People have the power to change — but often ignore it, because on some level, we take comfort in our self-imposed limitations. People will often set up their priorities in a way that limit what they are capable of — and then they willfully choose to live with that out of habit or of fear that any alternatives will be “hard”.
That’s not something people like to hear. Rather than take responsibility for their lives & make a change, many choose to complain, blame forces beyond their control, say “that’s just the way it is”, or convince themselves that’s there’s nothing they can do that they’re not already doing. That is until the pain of where they are or what they are dealing with becomes so strong that they DECIDE to make a change — they find a way. And that decision is no harder or less hard than it ever was.
The fact is, complaining doesn’t change anything. Actions do. If people want a different life from the one they have, they have to make different decisions — even if that means staring fear in the face, making some sacrifices, or doing some hard work — and then acting on those decisions.
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Help create a perpetual kindness machine by actively helping to support and encourage those who help support and encourage others.
I think we sometimes forget that the little things we do — that don’t seem like much or take much effort — can make a big difference in other people’s lives.
This is what I meant when I said:
“Never underestimate the power of a single act of kindness to make a significant difference in someone’s life. Your act may just be the added lift that someone needs to go from falling to flying.”
Here are some of those simple things:
Regarding your sources of online entertainment and education:
Providing feedback to these places is HUGE.
Sending a short “thank you” email or positive feedback to web sites (yes, even BIG ones — but especially little ones) or people who help make your online experience more enjoyable is extremely encouraging. While likes and +1s and shares are awesome — actually sending written positive feedback expressing why you like what you like is extremely valuable to those who create original content.
* And any time you happen to be on the receiving end of positive feedback, save it and refer to it later! This is what positive feedback folders are for!
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Music, movies, books, tv, fashion, art, animals, people, even Facebook statuses — whatever it may be — you don’t need anyone’s approval to genuinely like what you like.
As long as it’s not causing harm to yourself or others in some way, don’t let anyone make you feel like there is anything wrong with your personal preferences. Just because someone else may not like what you like, doesn’t make it any less worthy of your affection.
In fact, history shows us that just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it’s any better than something that may be lesser known.
Some people (or products) just get lucky. Others have millions of marketing dollars backing them to reach the tipping point that creates a sense of desire in the masses.
Some of the best and most amazing things in the world won’t be recognized by “the crowd” until years after they were created. And some things may never be recognized by the crowd.
When someone judges you for what you like, realize that it says more about them than it says about you. Being yourself means being unapologetically affectionate about the things you like, regardless of what others may think.
So go ahead and like what you like. And stand by it proudly. It means you’re being true to yourself and not falling victim to crowd mentality.
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