It is so easy to say or do nothing. To just accept things for being as they are and to justify keeping silent for the sake of keeping the peace. And keeping the peace is important, but that should not be mistaken for willfull blindness, failing to stand up for what you know to be right (or wrong) for fear of the personal consequences/ discomfort. I watched an excellent TED talk about this, which talked about the courage of those who act on their convictions and place the wellbeing of all ahead of their own comfort and well-being. It can be a tough road, but an important one.
In the last few years, I have not had the most conventional career/ life path. Come to that, I'm not sure I've ever had the most conventional life path. As a teenager, I struggled with severe mental health problems, spending years in hospital and it wasn't until my mid-twenties that anyone would consider my life 'normal' (within the context I was living of course). I am luckier than many, having experienced an excellent recovery and gone on to have friends, health, a career and be happily married.
However, for many, it can be hard to have faith in your decisions, especially if they do not adhere to the way things are 'normally' done. I've recently faced a number of decisions which on paper many may doubt. While I do believe in what I am doing (and more importantly why), it can sometimes be hard to maintain that power within. I recently came across this article in The Huffington post about confidence and it struck a note with me, so I wanted to share it: How do we find that power within? That is the question and the inner work that each one of us has to do -- to go inside and get a hold of our core. We all struggle with the issue of confidence. It leaves us when things don't go our way. Like a negative current that tries to consume us and spiral us downward, before you know it you can sink into the quicksand. Reconnecting with that wiser part of us -- that knows our value beyond our achievements or outer recognition, and has a larger perspective -- is the winning strategy that changes the negative current that comes against us, and transforms it into a positive wave that pushes us forward to our next committed action. Our negative voices, which play in our head, say to us that we are not good enough. They lie to us, making us feel that we are less than others and deplete us from the most valuable commodity a human being can have, trusting oneself and one's inner wisdom. I have learned from my mother, who had unshakable inner trust in life, that the ability to create the life you want is not based on resumes and degrees, but on giving yourself permission to be who you are; accepting yourself the way you are; trying new things; not being afraid to fail; and using this world as your playground, knowing that you are writing the script as you go along. But often in our minds and creative imaginations, we start to write scripts that have negative outcomes that undermine us. Our critical voice stops us from attempting something new and following the spark of a new idea. I think Shakespeare said it best, "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." So if you're wanting to make a change which you think will help you come closer to the life you want but it doesn't match with what society says works - try it. First know who you are and then stick to it. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2015
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