Don't Let Anyone Tell You, "You CAN'T'

“Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” I don’t know much about Les Brown, but this quote ‘rings true’ for me.

My parents were teenagers during the Great Depression and lived through the turmoil of World War II. They married right after the war and life seemed to work against them. My mother suffered from health issues, my dad was crippled in an car accident; they saw life as unfair and unforgiving and predicted life would be the same for their sons.

Almost every one of us can remember someone who predicted that we would be a failure! Maybe it was a family member or the next door neighbor who told you that you would never be a success if you continued on as you were doing. People offer opinions about you for many reasons, and not all of those are fair and just. Some people are simply jealous of you, thinking that if you succeed it will show up their weaknesses or inadequacies. They try to hold us back with caring statements like, “I just don't want to see you get hurt when you fail.”

Beginning with our childhood, we are influenced by those around us in so many ways that limit our thinking. In order to become a successful adult, we need to examine these limits that we've accepted about ourselves, and eliminate the ones that don't apply. No matter how you were labeled as a child, you can acknowledge that, as an adult you actually have many positive attributes. Perhaps you are creative, focused, hard-working or adventurous. If you think about it long enough, you discover that you are smart, mature, strong, committed and knowledgeable enough to do whatever it is that you want to achieve in life. You are capable of believing in yourself and can accomplish whatever dreams you set as your goal.

The key is to know who to listen to. My life changed when I started listening to positive thinking CD’s and podcasts. I started reading Success Magazine to be motivated by the successes of others. If you are going to do big things in life, it means that there are some people who will not like it. Learn to tell the difference between someone who should be listened to, and those who ought to be ignored. A good idea, like a small potted plant, needs to be nurtured

Take your good idea, your big dream, and believe you can achieve it. Work on a plan to accomplish it. Oh, the plan may change and the outcome may be different than you anticipated. It may be far greater and far bigger than anything you ever imagined.

Learn How I turned my big dreams into reality here.