You Are Not As Important As You Think.
The Truth That Is Holding You Back.
What if you lived in a world where nobody cared? Where we didn’t have any titles? Where everyone made the same money? Where everyone was the same? Would you still wake up doing what you do everyday?
Would you do the same job? Would you earn the same degree?
Of course, this is not our reality. We get MBAs to earn a promotion. We become doctors to fulfill our parents’ ambitions. We wear Louis Vuitton to impress our friends.
But do we actually impress ourselves? Do we look to find our truth? Or do we spend our whole life playing showing and tell, never seeming to grow out of our fifth grade antics.
The real reason most of us do not reach our own potential is not because of our inability to do so but because of our fear of what everyone else will think.
But guess what? Nobody is paying attention.
Creating a life of your dreams is hard. It is riddled with ups and downs. The good, the bad and the ugly. Building a life of intention and purpose is not glamorous and there’s only one way to do it. To put your head down and stop caring what the world around you thinks.
If the greatest leaders in this world cared what others thought they would not be known for who they are today. They would not weather the storms to get to their brilliant accomplishments. If Rosa Parks cared about what people thought, she’d not deny her seat to a white person onboard a segregated bus and she’d definitely not become the first lady of the civil rights movement.
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
– Albert Einstein
We have a tendency to believe we are the epicentre of people’s lives. It feeds our ego. We create the perfect Instagram photo, carefully cropping out parts that make us look fat. We shy away from sharing knowledge on LinkedIn, afraid to look stupid. We don’t take a speaking opportunity, afraid of what the audience might think. We think we are that important, but in reality, nobody is paying much attention.
Live your life like nobody is watching. Do what you have to do with 100% intention. The only person you’re answerable to is the one standing in front of you in the mirror.
Have you ever embarked on a tough journey whether that be taking the risk to start a business or pursuing a dangerous hobby, only to be then criticized? “Oh why don’t you stay with your cushy job, why take the tension?” Or “car racing can kill you, don’t do it?” Well, we live in a world where the media glorifies ‘overnight success’ stories but nobody credits the long and hard path it takes to get there.
The successful entrepreneur took countless risks, left a well paying job and put his house on the line. The Formula 1 Racer started out racing mediocre cars for fun. Fulfilling all of their heart’s desire. Nobody does these things to impress anyone. Their fame and popularity is a byproduct of their passion and intention for what they do. They don’t do it for others. That is merely an outcome.
“Care about people’s approval, and you will always be their prisoner.”
– Lao Tzu
The only permission you need is from yourself. Allow yourself to explore the boundless possibilities found in this freedom.
