“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom.”
― Osho, Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously
Have you ever found yourself hesitating to pursue something deep down you believed you were capable of, all because someone important in your life once told you that you weren’t up to the task? Sadly, many of us can relate to this unfortunate experience, and we’ve allowed it to shape our beliefs for much of our lives.
When I was in college, I was told by one of my creative writing instructors that writing was not my thing. I totally remember the story I had written, where the main character, a very stylish woman, was wearing a dress made of wool crepe. He wrote in big red letters that there was no such thing as wool crepe and that maybe I should stick to Psychology (I wasn’t even a Psychology major!). Seriously, he wrote that on my paper!
What he did not know was that I also was a student of fashion design and had personally created my own garment made of wool crepe, red to be exact. What a freaking Ding Dong! I don’t recall if I had ambitions to write back then but it didn’t matter, I chose to slink back to my seat never to dream of seeing my words on paper again. I wish I still had that paper, but at the time I felt so ashamed, worthless, and embarrassed that I crumpled it up and threw it away. For many years after, I felt so limited in my ability to write that sometimes I couldn’t even piece together a cohesive email. This is only one example of where in my life I let other people’s opinions matter.
The power of other people’s opinions can alter our beliefs in ourselves in so many areas of life. And sometimes we wear these beliefs like badges of honor giving them far too much credit for “the way we are or that’s just the way it is.” It’s simply not true!
These limiting beliefs, seeded by presumably well-intentioned people, can create havoc that not only holds us back from our dreams, but they also seep into the very fabric of our relationships, inhibit our success, and interfere in communications with others. By hanging on to these beliefs we actively participate in the very actions that keep us from evolving and growing into who we want to be.
Identifying, understanding, and overcoming our limiting beliefs is a great place to start building awareness of how our past thinking has stifled our success. Learning is awesome but more importantly, application of the knowledge is essential if you want to let go and see real change in your life.
Love & Light,
Michèle