If people are doubting you: I am quite a fan of these quotes about society and its impact on people. It is a funny mix we all live in – with the wonderful optimists, nay Sayers and all sorts of influencers. But today’s quote is inspired from the impact of these doubters on our goals and passions.
To be honest, they all have a very important role to play, but is limited by the time and place situation. Not every nay Sayer is important while dreaming and not every yes man is important when critical advice is needed. I suppose the value is in using it in the right place at the right time.
To today, we touch this quote on three aspects:
- What is the impact when people are doubting you?
- What is the reality?
- How to prevent these negative impacts?
“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” – Michele Ruiz
If People are Doubting how far you can go
Well, everyone is qualified for their own opinion. But not every opinion can be an objective truth. We are amidst nay Sayers for sure. But it is hard to not let them influence us. This is particularly true when you want to try something new and offbeat. Some prevent you from doing this because they are afraid and care for you. Some others are a bit jealous. And there is a bunch who probably don’t care much.
Either ways, they all can sure make an impact. What advice do we take? How do we balance all this between the internal questions about a decision and external influencers. Sometimes, I think all we need is a quiet space so that we can listen to these internal thoughts, questions and concerns. After all, everyone else has an opinion. But no one is really going through what you are. So, only you would be able to answer to your doubts and questions.
What is the reality?
A while ago, I talked about one of my favourite quotes – society may predict but can never decide who you can be. There are a few more such nice quotes in this collection. But, is not that really true. We are around people who think, talk and feel differently. They all have different experiences which have shaped them the way they are.
When they give us the advice, we need to critically think before letting it get to us. Yes, they may have all the right intentions, but the situation is about you. So, if people are doubting how far you can go – maybe it is time to run away. I don’t mean this in any negative sense. It sometimes is a really good opportunity to shut down from all the negative influence. It gives us a chance to listen to what our inner thoughts are saying.
How to prevent the negative impacts?
We have all read numerous success stories which flourished under constant derision and criticism. Sometimes these things do not really matter. All that matters is the goal you are looking at and what you need to do. These are the only two points which can get you there.
The rest is a very successful distraction. It can only keep up the motivation at best. But nothing else. So, we will need to devise ways to get away from the negative impact.
- Attack: An option is to attack every negative distraction. Fair warning though, it takes a lot of energy and you might want to save it for something productive
- Ignore: This sometimes works, but people might take it as a positive sign and keep coming at you with advice
- Diplomacy: This is a very useful skill if you can muster. We need to make sure people don’t take the liberty to pull us down. A softer skill can go a long way to help.
The above are pointers really but can be very powerful tools. If you are looking for more, I am afraid it is a little generic. But the answer is in getting away – not physically running away, but mentally distancing ourselves from all the things that can bring us down. Or as eloquently said in this quote:
“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” – Michele Ruiz