No one knows ourselves better than we do.
Only we know what it feels like to be us, minute to minute and day by day. Only we can hear the thoughts that run through our heads. Only we can feel the joy, the pain, and the subtleties that life provides. And only we can see the visions of the future that we wish to have, whether that is our future in the next five minutes or the future that is five years from now.
And yet….
Many times we are confronted by other people that believe that they know more about us than we do. And they impose their opinions, their doubts, their criticisms, their complaints, and their negative talk on us, on our dreams, on our goals, on our work, and/or even on our craft.
And I’m not talking about helpful hints, constructive criticism, insightful feedback, and the people that believe in us when we lose faith in ourselves. THESE people, whose intention is to provide help, perspective, and support, assist our journey of growth, encourage us to work harder, influence us to try something new, and/or wish to be a part of our success story. These people are phenomenal, valuable, and truly cherished for caring about our well-being!! 🥰
Nope, nope. Not talking about those lovely people that inspire us and lift us up! 💫
Let’s meander to the opposite side of the spectrum, shall we??
I’m talking about the people that tend to throw their negative, demeaning, dismissive, and/or (at the very least) their limited perceptions at us. Which comes across as these perceived attempts to dissuade us from continuing towards our dreams, our goals, our visions, our craft, and the results we wish to obtain. Because THEY seemingly “know” what is best for US or what we’re capable of…..🤨 And their views are often based on biased reasoning, faulty logic, their subjective lens, or their simple belief that we “just can’t do it,” “we’re not cut out for it,” and therefore “we will NEVER be able to do it.”
Ummmmmmmmm….is it really their call?
When confronted by these particular individuals, it is the time when we must become our own best friend, ally, and bodyguard and stay true to ourselves!!!!
This is when it is crucial to remember that NO ONE knows us better than we do and we must listen to and believe in ourselves, above all of the potential judgment and belittlement from others:
#rocksofunity
Honestly, I’m not sure if we could actually flow through life without this doubt, judgment, and skepticism from others!! BECAUSE (and here is the positive spin that makes all of the difference) when others come forward and challenge us, test us, attempt to convince us that we’re not good enough (or ready or able), or even if they believe that we will absolutely fail/lose if we move forward towards “Target X”…… well, it’s not about them. AT ALL. It’s what WE THINK and it’s about what WE KNOW DEEP-DOWN IS POSSIBLE.
As much as this conflict of opinion is sucky and likes to mess with our heads, I still see these moments as the chance for us to dig deep within, with regards to what means the most to us. And with what we know is true for us. A.K.A. These moments encourage us to trust ourselves first, with whatever is presented in front of us.
We have the power to walk away AND we have the power to continue on the path we have chosen. The most important part is that WE are the ones that make this decision because we believe in its truth and it’s validity on/in our lives.
I was thinking back to times in my life when I felt underestimated or attempted to be swayed away from something that I wanted to do.
So now I would love to share some fun, random, and mini stories with you!! (Yes, that rhymed but it was totally unintentional!!! But worth mentioning. 🤣)
STORY #1: This happened more than once – – I would show up to random bootcamp fitness classes, where the class would be full of only young and adult men. With me as the only female. And I would be told by the Instructor or the front desk staff that “maybe this isn’t the class for me” and asked if I preferred another class on the schedule OR they expected me to feel intimidated and hoped that I would leave……😐 But don’t worry!!! Of course I stayed, because it was a coed class after all and I do love bootcamp classes! And I would prove myself, match the participants, provide strong competition, push the men to work harder (because they don’t want to do less than a GIRL 😛), and show that, in fact, the class was perfect for me!
😉
STORY #2: I’m taking it way back – – – When I was 8 years old, my brother’s friend, who was 10 years old, wanted to race me around a baseball diamond. But he didn’t want to beat me TOO badly so he decided to give me a big lead and start running as soon as I reached first base. So, I started running and as soon as I hit first base, he took off from home base….and that base-to-base lead never changed for the whole race and I hit home while he was touching third base. 😁 I was definitely a sprinter when I was little. And this win was awesome!!!!! 🤩⚾️🙃🥎😁
Pretty great stories, right??? Though you haven’t heard anything yet……..
I have the ultimate story to tell you about a time in my life when the odds were stacked against me, important people were embarrassed or disgusted by my presence, and I was almost persuaded to give up on myself and on my dreams.
ALMOST, being the key word. 🤗
And that will be the mission of my next blog, completing the trilogy of my “Prove Them Wrong” posts!
In the meantime, KEEP GOING and let’s pull lots of motivation from this shirt:
This shirt is advertised at sheshow.com
How great is this????!!! And no, I do NOT have this shirt (yet!😉), although the message is clear and powerful. “Go ahead and underestimate me, because I will find great joy in proving you ultra-mistaken!” 🙌🏼
Whoa, it can be so satisfying and self-rewarding to persevere, especially in these moments of underestimation and the questioning of our potential!!! Truly!!
And I encourage all of us to find this fiery, no-nonsense attitude and work towards our hearts desires, no matter what anyone says. Even if it “seems impossible”……..
Thank you, Mr. Mandela. Ain’t that the truth!!!!!!!!!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼✨✨✨🔥🔥🔥