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Have you ever had someone tell you that you’re wasting your time chasing a dream, or, worse, you tell yourself there is no use trying?
If so, you’re not alone. Countless times we have listened to people cut us down.
Perhaps we were telling ourselves we will...
- Never be good enough.
- Never be happy.
- Never get into the school of our dreams.
- Never get that promotion or raise.
- Never find someone to love us.
These damaging lies keep us from chasing our dreams. Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff. Sometimes the only way to muster the courage to go after what we want is to turn that brokenness into energy and say to all those naysayers, “I’ll show you!”
It's time to talk back to that voice of insecurity and make the unimaginable imaginable! You can begin by:
1. Making the impossible possible.
No doubt about it: In life, we are our biggest critics. We tend to listen to naysayers and people who cut us down, all while discrediting those who build us up. Ever wonder why it's harder to take a compliment than an insult?
The truth is that our lives are full of rich and glorious experiences. If only we would put as much time into building ourselves up rather than tearing ourselves down, then maybe we truly would make the impossible possible.
2. Throwdown the gauntlet and say, “Game on!”
It’s time to show all those naysayers they missed the mark. Show them that:
- You are smart.
- You are beautiful.
- You are strong.
- You are talented.
- You are a thriver.
It's time we show our uninvited critics to the door and not let those unhelpful words hurt anymore.
![Krasimira Nevenova/Deposit Photos Krasimira Nevenova/Deposit Photos](https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half-caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2019-08/value.jpg?itok=cWFGBu04)
3. Get tough and get going.
As the legendary Billy Ocean sang, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and it’s time to move in a forward motion. Sure, that forward trajectory may be uphill, but putting one foot in front of the other is all it takes to move forward.
Eventually, our destination will be in sight, and we can look back and say, "I did it!"
4. Failure can lead to success.
Life is a journey. No one path is ever the same. That means that no one can run our lives, even though some may try.
Bottom line, we own our successes and face our challenges. We aren’t going to succeed at everything, but that doesn't mean we failed. It's when we fall that we learn the most. Sometimes looking from the ground up gives us a different perspective.
5. Life’s full of uncertainty.
It goes without saying, if one thing is certain, life is uncertain. Who knows what the future holds? Take time to celebrate each victory and success as though it's the last.
When life’s storms move in, and fear and security seem to funnel around us like tornados, it’s time to call in the troops, our social supports! We were designed to need one another; just as there are those who cast doubt on us, there are also those who inspire and lift us up. It's those very people who will help us soar in life's most uncertain moments.
6. Life’s not about the success as much as it is about the journey.
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As Steve Jobs so eloquently stated in his "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" speech given at Stanford on June 12, 2005:
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
All this to say, make the impossible possible, and get up and let the world know, “I’ll show you all that I can do!”