Hug a Critic Today!

We all need critics.  As much as we don’t like them at times, our critics really should be our best friends.  Ok maybe not our best friends in the sense that we should be hanging out with them and spending our free time with them but we should be very appreciative and grateful for them.  For without critics, life would not be the same—and not in a good way...

Some of the most successful people in life have some of the harshest critics constantly surrounding them and I don’t know that this is a coincidence.  Our critics give us an opportunity to do better, be better, and improve ourselves.  They tell us what we need to work on and what we did wrong.  They willingly point out our flaws and may even say things that are not true at times.  And believe it or not, these are good things!  Because of their “advice” we often take time to reflect on our actions and performance—they compel us to think about how we can improve!  Critics give us just the right dose of reality we need to allow us to remain humble despite our greatest efforts and achievements.  Because of critics, some of the most amazing accomplishments have been achieved in history.  Because of critics, I’ve stretched myself and have become a better person.    

Now imagine a world without critics where everyone was always nice, sweet, and complimentary all the time toward us.  Although it does sound appealing, our ability to progress, grow, and be better would be significantly stunted.  We need critics.  We need someone telling us that we are not perfect, that we have not yet arrived, and that there is always room to grow and improve.  We need critics to tell us what we did wrong.  We need critics to push us to greater heights and improved results.  We all need critics to become the best we can become.  For without them, many of us would stop achieving.

Let me give you a little personal example to illustrate my point.  When I was younger I played baseball.  No matter how good I thought I had done during a game, my dad would always find something to point out that I did wrong and I hated it!  In fact it got so bad I asked my father never to attend one of my games again.  Time went by and unfortunately my baseball career ended not long after this argument with my dad.  Reflecting back on this, I see now that my dad was probably the only one who was willing to help me be better.  My coaches didn’t correct my batting stance when my legs were spread a few inches too far apart or when the bat wasn’t off my shoulder like it should have been.  They didn’t point out how my throwing motion was incorrect or how it took me too long to get the ball out of my glove.  At the end of the day, my coaches essentially allowed me to not improve and eventually fail—good critics won’t let us do that.  For this reason, we all need good critics.     

Now, our perception and mindset toward our critics is vital.   Some choose to take a very negative mindset and become upset, angry, and even give-up or give-in because of them.  Others choose to take a positive mindset and become motivated and excited by them.  If we see critics for who they are and the important role they can play in helping us become better, we will be grateful for them because we will use them as a great source of strength and inspiration. 

So hug a critic today!  Ok maybe don’t go that far but let’s learn from my mistake early in life.  Let’s be grateful for our harshest critics because after all, it is because of them we can become our best selves.        

The Energy Bus

“Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity.  Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt.”

I love the book The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon.  It is a quick, easy read with many powerful and simple truths that if applied will no doubt help each of us in our lives.  Some of my favorite takeaways are below.

“A man with vision has a certain look in his eye and walk in his step.  He walks like he knows where he is going and why he is going there.” 

Each of us needs vision in our life, a purpose of why we do what we do.  Sadly, too many of us wander through life without stopping and figuring out where we want to go.  And then one day we realize we’ve randomly ended up somewhere we’d rather not be.  A personal vision guides us and helps us end up exactly where we want to be.  A vision focuses our efforts and helps us make good decisions.  It channels our energy away from negativity and funnels it toward positive things.  A vision will energize us and bring clarity, purpose, and excitement to our life.  Positive energy starts with a clear vision! 

“When you feel blessed you don’t have time to feel stressed.”

Gratitude is a powerful antidote to stress.  Each of us has so much to be grateful for yet often we spend much of our time complaining and focusing on negative things.  If we can be more grateful, and focus on all the good around us, we will have more positive energy and more success in life.

“It’s your bus and you choose where you are going and the kind of ride it’s going to be.”

We are in control as the driver of our own bus.  We decide our destiny, our happiness, and our success in life.  We determine our outcomes and where we will end up.  If we allow others to drive our bus for us, that is our choice but we may not like where we end up.  Instead each of us should choose to drive our own bus where we’d like it to go.  We are responsible for our own satisfaction and results in life. 

“Positive energy and positive people create positive results.”

At the end of the day, positive energy matters.  When we are full of positive energy we attract positive people and positive events in our lives.  We need to do things that will help us be positive.  Maintaining positive energy will greatly impact our happiness and success in life. 

A quote from this book sums it up pretty well and that is “the simplest lessons in life are often the most profound and meaningful.”  The Energy Bus contains powerful and simple lessons to help each of us reach our potential and maximize our success in life.  Let’s enjoy our ride!    

To see how I rank this book, click here

Own up to the Greatness Inside of You! Part 2

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine…And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Marianne Williamson

A friend of mine brought up a good point about my last blog on our unlimited potential for greatness.  He asked if in our world today if it was even possible to live up to our true capacity or potential.  He made the point that our society has somehow come to believe that being great ourselves will somehow take away from others, and so therefore none of us should strive for it.  He alluded that it has almost become completely unacceptable to be better than others or strive for greatness. 

I think my friend presents an excellent question and unfortunately I believe much of what he says is true.  So many in our society and in the media today seem to exist only to tear others down.  Rather than contribute or build something themselves they standby ready to denounce anyone who stands for anything.  In many instances they act as if no one is allowed to try anything different and the moment you do, you open yourself up to the possibility of being publicly scorned. 

Regardless of what the media portrays or our society believes however, truth is truth.  And the truth is when we expand our personal greatness, push ourselves to be our absolute best, and shoot for the stars, we help others around us to do the same.  Increasing our personal greatness increases the greatness of those around us.  So rather than take away from others, the opposite is true.  When we strive to maximize our potential we add to others all around us.

Taking it easy, playing small, and doing what everyone else does never has really helped anyone to reach their best selves.  We need to believe that our potential and the potential of others is unlimited and that by pushing ourselves to be our best, to add to and change the world for good, we are helping others regardless of what the critics around us may say.  Part of the greatness inside of us is that we have the capacity to embrace and stand for truth.   

So, to answer my friend’s question, yes I think it is possible though it may not be a smooth road.  In actuality it most likely will require us to travel down bumpy paths with many obstacles trying to knock us off course or convince us to stop the journey.  If we are persistent however, I know we will be glad we made the trip. 

At the end of the day, because we are told we can’t do great things, most of us limit ourselves and we don’t really try.  But we shouldn’t hold back or give in.  Instead we should reject the “pundits” and be true to ourselves.  We should work to change the mindset in our society by owning up to the greatness inside each of us!  Because when we do, we not only help ourselves, but we build, support, and help others to do the same.  

Own Up to the Greatness Inside of You!

Each of us has unlimited potential to do great things.  Unfortunately, many of us do not believe this.  The world and outside influences would have us believe that we are nothing special, that it is best just to conform and try to fit in rather than being different, working hard, and striving to accomplish the impossible.  Because of these ideas created by men that each of us tend to believe and carry around with us, we end up not doing what we ought to do and not becoming who we ought to become.  Instead we live life under the radar with the belief that our potential is limited and our ability to influence others is small.   

To know the truth however is to push away traditional thinking, and come to the knowledge that each of us has tremendous potential to do truly great things.  Each of us can achieve accomplishments beyond our wildest dreams.  Each of us has within us something that can generate and create greatness. 

Now whether you believe this to be true or not it is up to you.  Let’s say that you are on the fence about this, that you aren’t really sure.  Imagine if you just went ahead and jumped off that fence and chose to believe it even if it isn’t true?  What harm would come in life having this thought pattern and belief in yourself?   I think believing this and living like it is true whether it is or not will add incredible value to our lives.   

At the end of the day, because we are told we can’t do great things, most of us limit ourselves and we don’t really try.  Rather than shoot for the stars we choose to “stay grounded”.  For this reason we need to change our mindset.    We need to own up to the greatness inside of us!  I believe this is our true calling, our true destiny—to achieve greatness in whatever we may choose.