One of the top 10 thing that we need to let go of to move forward is the idea that what other people think about us or our business is the reality of who we are and what we do.
Today, while driving to a meeting this morning, I heard on NPR the description of Hilda Solis, the US Department of Labor Chair, as being "uncooperative". It was the business community who labeled her as such due to her strong positions protecting workers. Was Solis uncooperative? Probably not. She was probably just doing things that business didn't like. Should she have stopped doing those things? No, but if she spent anytime at all worrying about what they thought she might have second guessed herself.
That, right there, is what happens. We second guess ourselves when we worry about what other people think about us and the work we are doing. That moment where we question the path we are on, due to the idea of what we THINK other people think about us is a time suck and emotionally draining.
Stop it.
Now, that doesn't mean I want you to go around with blinders on or as a bully on the playground. Listen to what others have to say, to some extent, but don't let it sway you far from your path.
I know. This is hard. People aren't necessarily nice or they think that sharing their opinion of what you are doing or you is helpful. It isn't. The time that they are spending thinking about you is probably time they should be spending thinking about themselves.
What other people think about you is not what counts. It is what YOU think of you and the work you are doing that matters. What matters is doing what is best for you, your business, your family, your life - not what others think you should be doing.
If you have made your plan, developed your skills and are working towards your goals - go full on. Don't stop and worry about what others are saying or thinking. The truth is that the minute you put yourself out there, doing anything, someone is going to have an opinion about it. So what. The bottom line is their opinion and getting distracted by it kills your momentum.
Stay focused. Stay positive. Keep moving forward.
This amazing print is for sale on Etsy in TricaODesign's shop
